


Of Humans and Dolphins

by Ilovesocks_24



Series: The Best Vacation Ever [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Cruise Ship, Fluff and Crack, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Singles Cruise for Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-10
Updated: 2014-10-29
Packaged: 2018-02-08 08:15:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1933578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ilovesocks_24/pseuds/Ilovesocks_24
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><em>“I don’t know why we’re talking about Jackson when we could be talking about all the hot guys that Derek’s going to meet on this cruise,” Laura said, eyes bright. “I saw the pamphlet, and I’m a little jealous that I don’t have a penis. Some of those guys were hot. The things I’d do to have a man with abs like that.” </em> </p>
<p>Or Derek's POV to "Of Werewolves and Dolphins",  In which Derek's a softy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The Hales are alive and they're all true alphas because of reasons. 
> 
> And Papa Hale's name is Lawrence. Also because of reasons. 
> 
> Also, I regret nothing.

“I hate all of you,” Derek muttered, looking around the room at his family members. “This isn’t funny. This is probably your worst idea yet.”

“Don’t hate me,” Lawrence answered. “This was all your mother and sisters’ idea. They just dragged me along for the ride.”

“Figures,” Derek growled, glaring at Talia, Laura and Cora, who were doing a terrible job of covering up their grins. “Send me on a gay singles cruise for a week in the Caribbean. That just seems like something they would do. What do you think’s gonna happen? I come back with a hot guy that I find on the cruise? Not gonna happen.”

“Oh, come on, Derek,” Laura said, rolling her eyes. “We wouldn’t have had to do this if you weren’t so _boring_. When we said we wanted to come visit you in New York, we kind of wanted to hang out with you. Not hang around your apartment with your goldfish while you went to work.” 

“There’s nothing wrong with Boyd,” Derek growled, letting his fangs lengthen ever so slightly.

“I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with him,” Laura said exasperatedly. “It’s just not healthy for your only friend to be a goldfish.”

“He’s not my only friend,” Derek mumbled, glancing at Boyd’s tank. Boyd swam around in lazy circles, blowing a few bubbles and Derek couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his face. “I have other friends?”

“Really, Derek? Because every name in your phone book has the word ‘work’ after it,” Cora said, picking up Derek’s phone and scrolling through his contacts. “Aiden—work. Deaton—work. Liam—work. Ethan—work. Kira—work. The only people who don’t have work after their names are us, and we’re your family.” 

“That… That doesn’t mean anything,” Derek said. “I’m _fine_ , really. I’m twenty-eight, I’m healthy, I have a good job; I talk to you guys almost every day. What more could I want?”

“Someone _special_ ,” Talia sighed. “It’s not good for wolves to go through their lives alone. Especially true alphas like you. I’d just feel better if you were seeing someone.”

“I date. Every now and then,” Derek muttered. “It’s just not high on my priorities list right now.”

“Derek, the last time you dated was Jackson and we all know how well that turned out,” Cora said, rolling her eyes. “I’m surprised you guys even lasted as long as you did.”

“Believe me, so am I,” Derek growled lowly. “I’m still mad at you for getting us together,” he added, glaring at his mom.

“Not one of my finest moments, I admit,” Talia answered, shaking her head. “But this is so much better! Jackson won’t even be on this cruise!”

“I don’t know why we’re talking about Jackson when we could be talking about all the hot guys that Derek’s going to meet on this cruise,” Laura said, eyes bright. “I saw the pamphlet, and I’m a little jealous that I don’t have a penis. Some of those guys were _hot_. The things I’d do to have a man with abs like that.” 

Derek rolled his eyes and glanced at the pamphlet. It was adorned with muscular men with fruity drinks splashing each other on the beach. Derek flipped through the pamphlet and looked at all the exotic ports of calls along with the men who looked like they spent their entire lives in the gym. 

“Oh, tell me about it,” Cora said. “But you know other muscly guys aren’t Derek’s type. He likes them long and lean, with bright eyes and sarcastic senses of humor.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Laura agreed. “So he probably wants a beta or something. You know, someone not exactly submissive, but who won’t take any shit from him either.”

“That sounds more like a human to me,” Cora replied. “But I think there are some humans that come on the cruise. I don’t know why they wouldn’t. If I was a—”

“No humans,” Derek cut in. “I’m not dating anyone on this cruise, and I’m definitely not going to date a human.”

“This can’t be about Paige,” Cora said, narrowing her eyes. “Derek, we told you, she’s—hey!”

“Don’t,” Laura muttered, shaking her head after she sharply elbowed Cora in the side. “Derek will sort that out when he’s ready.”

“This is the dumbest idea you guys have ever come up with,” Derek said, shaking his head.

“Derek, honey, no one’s making you do anything,” Talia said softly. “You know that right?”

“You’re making me go on this cruise,” Derek grumbled. “And it sounds like you want me to find someone there.”

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to, Derek,” Talia said. “I just think it would be good for you to get out of your apartment for a while. Have some fun, meet some new people, maybe find someone special. I just want to see you happy.” 

“I _am_ happy,” Derek tried. “I just don’t show it like the rest of you do.” 

“Derek, you ran away after the accident, and we’ve barely seen you since,” Lawrence said. “All your mother really wants is to see you happy with someone special. You know how she gets.”

Derek glanced over at his mom who was nodding slightly; her eyes wet with unshed tears. 

“And I’m supposed to just magically find him on a singles cruise?” Derek asked. “Half of those guys there are probably only going to be looking for a weeklong fling, and you know that’s not my style.” 

“Got that right,” Laura muttered. 

“Tell me about it,” Cora added. “Textbook ‘werewolves mate for life’ example right there.”

Derek glared at both of them before continuing. “And even on the off chance that I did find someone that I was interested in and who wasn’t there for a fling. What are the chances that he lives in New York? What if he lives in Sacramento or something? Are we just supposed to call it quits at the end of the cruise?” 

“You’re one of the finest werewolf cops in the country, Derek,” Lawrence said. “Accident or not,” he added, noticing Derek’s wince. “I’m sure you could request a transfer if you met someone.”

“I don’t know…”

“Derek, please,” Talia said, clasping her hands together. “It’s just for a week, and if you hate it, I’ll never try to get you to date again. But please go. For me?”

Derek closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine, I’ll go,” he replied. “But no promises.”

***

As soon as Derek walked onto the ship, he knew he had made a terrible mistake in letting his family talk him into this. For one, he was pretty sure he was going to die from suffocation. It was like the ship was shrouded in a huge cloud of lust and want and the sickly sweet smell was overwhelming. So much so that he started coughing as soon as he boarded the ship. 

Secondly, the ship was _massive_. Derek had looked through the pamphlets, but he had no idea that the ship was going to be this big. He didn’t know how he was expected to find anything. The cruise attendant had said that his room was on the eighth floor, but Derek had no idea where to start.

“Looking for something, big boy?”

Derek turned around and saw a muscle-bound werewolf leaning against the hallway wall. He looked Derek up and down and a smirk unfurled across his face.

“Can I help you find something?” he asked, walking over and intruding _way_ into Derek’s personal space.

“Just looking for the elevator,” Derek said, trying not to wrinkle his nose as the smell of the guy’s arousal assaulted his nose. “I need to find my cabin.”

“Well, I could show you _my_ cabin,” the guy purred, placing a hand on Derek’s chest. “It’s right down this hallway. We could get to know each other a little better and then I could show you where the elevator is. I’m Jorge, by the way.” 

“Or,” Derek growled, letting his eyes flash and removing the Jorge’s hand from his chest. “You could just tell me where the elevator is and I won’t have to break your hand.”

“Oh, feisty,” Jorge said, smirking as Derek squeezed his hand. His own eyes flashed alpha red and he ran his tongue over his fangs. “I bet you’re great in the bedroom. That growl is fucking sexy, big boy.” 

“Get away from me,” Derek growled, shoving Jorge off him.

“Whenever you’re in the mood,” Jorge called as Derek walked away. “I’m room 413!”

Derek took a deep breath to try to calm down when he finally managed to find the elevator. He’d had a feeling that he was going to receive a lot of attention. He knew what he looked like, and he also knew that a lot of people generally appreciated what he looked like.

But singles cruise or not, that didn’t mean that he was just some piece of meat for people to have their way with.

Derek pulled out his phone and fired off a quick text to Laura.

_To Laura Hale:_

_-I hate you._

Less than thirty seconds later, his phone buzzed in response.

_From Laura Hale:_

_-Did you get hit on already?_

_To Laura Hale:_

_-I haven’t even been on the boat twenty minutes yet and some guy already tried to get me to come back to his cabin._

_From Laura Hale:_

_-Haha, yes!! Cora owes me money!_

_To Laura Hale:_

_-???_

_From Laura Hale:_

_-Cora thought that no one would hit on you until you took your shirt off because your scary eyebrows would intimidate everyone away. And I thought that people would hit on you from the get-go! And I was right!!_

_To Laura Hale:_

_-My eyebrows are not scary._

_From Laura Hale:_

_-That would be all you would get out of that text. Guess what mom is putting her money on?_

_To Laura Hale:_

_-Do I want to know?_

_From Laura Hale_

_-She’s convinced that you’re going to find someone special and bring him back to NY with you._

_To Laura Hale_

_-Not gonna happen_

_From Laura Hale_

_-I know, right! You’re totally going to move to wherever he lives, because you’re a big softy!_

_-Also, stop texting me, grumpy and go enjoy the cruise!_

Derek rolled his eyes as he tucked his phone in his pocket and pulled out his key and opened his cabin. Thankfully his cabin didn’t smell like someone had doused it with sweet perfume like the rest of the ship did. Maybe he could just stay in his cabin for the entire cruise and just sleep the cruise away.

Derek sighed and flopped on his bed and buried his face in the pillow and let out a groan. He honestly had no idea how he was going to survive this week, especially since he had barely been on the cruise an hour and had already been aggressively hit on. 

Derek rolled over and flipped through the mixer pamphlets that were on his nightstand. Apparently there was an Alphas Seeking Alphas mixer on the promenade floor, but even if he hadn’t had run into Jorge already, Derek would’ve given that one a pass anyway. 

None of the other pamphlets really caught his eye either. He was Jewish or vegetarian, and he didn’t know how to surf wither, so those mixers were out. He knew coming on this cruise was a bad idea. 

However, the last pamphlet caught his eye: Werewolves Seeking Humans. Like that was ever going to happen. Derek had barely spoken to a human since… Well, Derek would rather go on a date with Jorge than go that mixer. He just wasn’t ready to be around humans again. 

Derek sighed and flopped back on his bed, maybe he could nap the rest of the day away. He was pretty much over this cruise and he had barely been on the ship an hour. He was just settling into sleep when a sharp knock on his door startled him awake. 

Growling slightly, Derek trudged to the door and opened it to find a cruise attendant.

“Good afternoon, sir,” the attendant said, smiling broadly. “How are you enjoying the cruise so far?”

“I’ve only been here an hour,” Derek said. “But I would enjoy it a lot more if you would let me go back to sleep.”

“Ah, I’m sorry, sir,” the attendant said, inclining his head. “It’s just that there’s a mandatory safety demonstration at the top deck at this time. All guests are required to attend.”

Derek sighed. It could be worse. And at least this attendant wasn’t trying to get into his pants. He was just doing his job. But maybe he could just lie and say he was going and then go right back to sleep. 

“Okay, thank you. I’ll be there.” 

The attendant looked at Derek expectantly, and Derek rolled his eyes and started walking towards the elevator. 

***

Derek had known that the ship was big, but he hadn’t realized that it could hold so many people. Everyone was crammed like sardines on the top deck, barely listening as the captain ran through the safety parameters. Derek was about to turn around and try to navigate his way back to his cabin when a body slammed into him. 

Derek whirled around to find a slender guy with brilliant brown eyes wincing in front of him. Derek was a little taken aback at how attractive this guy was. He smelled like cinnamon and rain and it was a welcome change from the aroma of lust that was engulfing the boat. a 

“You should probably watch where you’re going,” Derek said, continuing to look the guy up and down. “You might hurt someone.”

“Sorry! I didn’t—My friend is looking for someone—It was an acid—”

“It’s fine,” Derek sighed, cutting the guy off. Derek hadn’t known it was physically possible to talk that fast and that much without taking a breath. “Just watch where you’re going next time.”

“Thanks,” the guy said, smiling slightly. Derek caught a slight whiff of arousal, but at least the guy didn’t smell like he was drenched in it. But Derek couldn’t help but smile to himself. The guy was definitely attractive and he obviously thought the same about Derek. He’d wait to see how the whole thing would play out, but Derek was definitely interested in this guy. 

“By the way, did you see which way my friend went?” the cute guy continued. “He’s kind of the reason I crashed into you. I didn’t see which way he went, because my face collided with you back.”

“Yeah, I didn’t see him,” Derek said. “I was trying to listen what I should do in the case of an emergency, and the next thing I know, you catapulted into my back.”

“My bad,” Cute Guy said, flushing slightly. Oh the things Derek would give to see that flushing across his entire body. “But I can tell you what to do in an emergency. I learned everything I know from Shark Week.”

“I don’t know if you should be proud of that fact,” Derek snorted.

“Dude, Shark Week is totally legit,” Cute Guy snorted. “Did you know that when your ship blows up, sharks are attracted to the noise in the water, so your best bet is to swim away from the wreckage? That way the sharks won’t be that close to you.”

“I’ll be sure to remember that as I’m tearing the sharks to shreds with my claws,” Derek said, rolling his eyes. Truthfully, he was terrified of sharks, but he wasn’t going to let Cute Guy know that just yet.

“That doesn’t sound very intimidating,” Cute Guy shot back, eyes gleaming mischievously. “It would’ve been better if you had said, ‘as I’m ripping out its throat with my teeth.’ That seems like something you would do.”

“Tell you what, if the boat goes down, I’ll claw the sharks to shreds and you rip out their throats with your teeth,” Derek said. “I’m pretty sure that two werewolves will be able to handle themselves in an ocean full of sharks.”

“But I’m not really a—” Cute Guy closed his mouth as if he was trying to think of something to say. Derek eyed him curiously. He was pretty sure Cute Guy was a werewolf. He _smelled_ like a werewolf, but Derek’s sense of smell was pretty fried after smelling all the lust all day. Maybe Cute Guy had rolled around with two werewolves just before—

“But I’m not really into sushi,” Cute Guy said. “I don’t like raw fish. You rip their throats out, and I’ll claw them to shreds.”

Completely reasonable. Cute Guy was a werewolf. Derek didn’t have anything to worry about. Crisis averted because he knew he wouldn't be able to do anything if Cute Guy was a human. 

“Sounds like a plan,” Derek said, letting his eyes flash. “Hopefully it won’t come to that, but at least I know someone will have my back.”

“Sure thing,” Cute Guy said, but he sounded a little bit nervous. Derek focused a little bit more and found that Cute Guy’s heartbeat was beating a little faster than normal. Maybe Derek had gone too far in saying that he’d be glad that Cute Guy would have his back? But this was a singles cruise. Wasn’t being flirty and forward the name of the game? Derek didn’t want to scare of Cute Guy before he even learned his name. 

Derek tried giving Cute Guy a reassuring smile, and was grateful when Cute Guy returned it and his heartbeat started to return to normal.

“Cool. I’m glad I met you,” Derek said, still smiling. “I didn’t think I would meet anyone on this boat. I didn’t even want to come, to be honest.”

“You didn’t want to come on the guys-only cruise?” Cute Guy asked, mouth hanging open, like Derek’s decision affected him personally. “But why? I know you probably get this a lot, but you’re like really hot. Like really, really hot. Why wouldn’t you want to come on a singles cruise? A guy like you could probably take home about half the guys on this boat.” 

“I’m not really into the dating scene,” Derek replied, willing himself not to blush. “Especially when it’s all commercialized like this. Never really been my thing.”

“Then why are you here?” Cute Guy asked. “It sounds like you’re not trying to find anyone special on this cruise, so why come? Why not just go on a regular vacation? Save yourself the trouble of having a bunch of guys hit on you.” 

“My parents,” Derek said, rolling his eyes at the memory. “They suckered me into this. They bought a ticket and they said it was going to go to waste if I didn’t use it. My mom even started crying a little bit. She’s been trying to get me in a relationship for the past couple of years. This is her latest ploy to try and get me off the market. I wasn’t going to fall for it, but she really turned on the tears.”

“And you fell for it anyway,” Cute Guy asked, smirking at Derek. “Dude, fake tears are like the oldest trick in a mother’s handbook I’m pretty sure they teach how to fake cry at How To Be A Mother 101.”

“Tell me about it,” Derek muttered, frowning at the memory. “But it worked, so here I am. I figure I can at least get free drinks for the week. And it wouldn’t be too bad to lie out on the beaches. What about you?” What are you here for, looking for a mate?” 

Under no circumstances did Derek hold his breath in anticipation. Cute Guy was probably here for a weeklong fling. And as much as Derek liked him already, he had a feeling that he wouldn’t be okay with letting him go after only a week.

“Nope, the dolphins,” Cute Guy answered quickly. “You can swim with the dolphins in Cozumel, and that’s the only thing that’s keeping me on this boat for the next week. Oh, and to look after my friend, who may or may not have just found the love of his life. Speaking of which, I should probably go find him.”

Derek let out a breath that he hadn’t realized he was holding. Cute Guy wasn’t looking for a mate or a weeklong hookup. But Derek wasn’t an idiot. Just because Cute Guy said he wasn’t looking, didn’t mean that something wouldn’t find him. And Derek didn’t know if he was okay with Cute Guy falling into bed with someone like Jorge. Plus, they were friends now, right? Acquaintances at the very least. And as Cute Guy’s friend/acquaintance, it was Derek’s job to make sure that Cute Guy stayed out of bed with the wrong guys.

“Oh, okay,” Derek said, trying to sound nonchalant. “Well, since you’re not looking for anyone and I’m not looking for anyone, maybe we should hang out this week. I’m Derek, but the way,” he added, extending his hand.

“That sounds good to me. I’m Stiles,” Cute Guy—Stiles answered, shaking Derek’s hand. For some reason, Stiles seemed to fit him. It was an interesting name, but Stiles was an interesting person, and Derek was curious to learn more about him. “And I hate to meet and dash, but I should really find Scott. I’ll see you later!”

“Later, Stiles,” Derek said, smiling. “I’ll come find you later. Maybe we can grab a drink or something." 

“Sounds good,” Stiles answered. He smiled at Derek one last time before turning around and walking away.

Derek smiled to himself as he turned his attention back to the captain. He wondered if he was going to say anything about emergencies and sharks.


	2. Chapter 2

Derek growled lowly as he made his way back to his cabin. There was a random werewolf just leaning against his cabin door. He was obviously waiting for a Derek _and_ looking for a hook-up and Derek was _not_ interested. Unfortunately, based on the way this guy looked Derek up and down, he _was_ interested. 

“Hey, stud,” Douchewolf growled seductively, as Derek approached him. “Saw you at the emergency demo and I just couldn’t get you out of my head.”

“That’s nice,” Derek said. “You’re in my way.”

“See that’s the thing,” Douchewolf said, raising an eyebrow. “I forgot everything I learned at the demo and I’m scared. What do I do if the boat goes down?” 

“Try not to drown.”

“Funny,” Douchewolf said, smirking. “And what will you do if I go down on you?” He winked seductively before starting to sink down to his knees, before Derek grabbed him by the throat and shoved him against the wall.

He knew this was a gay cruise, but he was pretty sure that getting a blowjob in the hallway would be grounds for getting kicked off the boat. Not that he want a blowjob from this guy anyway. 

“Alright, man, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Douchewolf said, eyes glowing gold as he bared his neck in submission. “I get it, lay off.” 

“Get lost,” Derek growled, tossing him down the hallway. “Don’t let me see you again.” 

Douchewolf whimpered before scrambling away. Derek watched him leave before sighing, unlocking his cabin and flopping into bed. He pulled out his phone and opened up a new text to Laura.

_To Laura Hale:_

_-This is the worst vacation I have ever been on._

_From Laura Hale:_

_-What now, Derek?_

_-And didn’t I tell you to stop texting me and enjoy the cruise?_

_To Laura Hale:_

_-Some guy just tried to give me a blowjob in the middle of the hallway. He didn’t even wait till we got in a cabin_

_From Laura Hale:_

_-And let me guess, you turned him down._

_To Laura Hale:_

_-Public blowjobs aren’t my thing._

_From Laura Hale:_

_-Oh my God, Derek. You’re on VACATION. A blowjob’s a blowjob. Lighten up._

_-I just rolled my eyes so hard, I think they broke. I can’t read your texts anymore. I’m blind._

_To Laura Hale:_

_-You’re not funny._

_From Laura Hale:_

_-And you’re not FUN. Come on Derek, at least try to enjoy yourself. If there are all these guys hitting on you, there has to be SOMEONE who has caught your eye._

Derek paused as his thoughts drifted to Stiles. Stiles and his bright eyes and brighter sense of humor. His cinnamon smell and how gorgeous he was when he smiled and the fact that he wanted to hang out with Derek. He supposed Stiles had caught his eyes. Of course there was no way in hell that he would give Laura that satisfaction.

Unfortunately for Derek, he’d evidently taken a little bit too long daydreaming and his phone lit up again.

_From Laura Hale:_

_-The only reason you can have for not texting back is that there IS someone that you’re interested in and you’re thinking about him and all the ways you can avoid telling me about him. So, what’s his name?_

_To Laura Hale:_

_-I could’ve been doing something else. Like washing my hands._

Derek winced as soon as he sent it. Washing his hands? He didn’t think he could get any lamer. Now it wasn’t a question of if Laura would call him on it, it was how sarcastic was she be.

_From Laura Hale:_

_-Washing your hands? Really? I’m actually going to let that slide because I don’t have anything to say to something that stupid and obvious._

_-Now. What. is. mystery man’s name?_

Derek sighed and shook his head. He hated his sister sometimes. 

_To Laura Hale:_

_-Stiles_

_From Laura Hale:_

_-What the hell is a Stiles?_

_To Laura Hale:_

_-Him. His name is Stiles._

_From Laura Hale:_

_-Hmmmmmm_

_To Laura Hale:_

_-Whatever it is you’re thinking please don’t, Laura._

_From Laura Hale:_

_-I don’t know what you’re talking about, Der. ;)_

_-But I do know, the more time you waste talking to me, the more time Stiles has to find someone he likes better than you._

_-Plus Stiles sounds like someone who’s no-so-secretly kinky. I bet he would love a public blowjob._

Derek could practically hear Laura cackling in his head as he growled and sprang out of his cabin.

***

“Having fun on the merry go round?” Derek asked, grabbing Stiles’ shoulder. He was pleased that he found Stiles at the bar with his pants up and no one giving him a public blowjob. So if Derek let his hand linger a little bit, no one had to know. 

“Derek!” Stiles said, his face lighting up as he turned around. “What are you doing here?” 

“I told you I find you later,” Derek snorted. “I just didn’t realize that you would get drinks without me. What are you drinking? I don’t smell any wolfsbane in it.” 

“Just juice for now,” Stiles answered as he handed Derek his drink. Derek frowned as he sniffed the drink. What was the point of drinking wolfsbane-free alcohol? It didn’t even taste good. And if it wasn’t going to get him drunk, why bother? 

“Erica told me to sit this round out,” Stiles explained, and then everything made a little bit more sense. “Oh, by the way, this is my friend Scott and our new friend Isaac.”

“Nice to meet you both,” Derek said, quirking an eyebrow at the brown haired wolf whom he assumed was Scott. His face was buried in Isaac’s neck and he barely pulled it out long enough to look Derek in the eye. Derek extended his hand to shake, and Scott shook it briefly before wrapping his arms back around Isaac’s shoulders.

Scott growled very quietly when Derek nodded at Isaac, and Derek rolled his eyes in response. He could admit that Isaac was reasonably attractive and he could see how Scott could feel a little threatened by him, but based on the content expression on Isaac’s face and soft, satisfied rumbles coming from the back of his throat, Derek had a feeling that Scott had nothing to worry about.

Satisfied that Scott and Isaac seemed to be good people, Derek turned his attention back to Stiles. “Do you want to take another drink?”

“I think I could have a couple more,” Stiles said, slamming his empty glass on the bar. “Erica, can I get another round of Christmas, and whatever my friend is having.”

“Disaronno. On the rocks,” Derek said, nodding at the bartender, a bodacious blonde. She eyed him up and down approvingly but rolled her eyes when Derek subtly shifted closer to Stiles.

“I’ll get those right out,” Erica said. “I’ll hold the wolfsbane in yours again, Stiles.” 

“Why is she holding the wolfsbane?” Derek asked curiously. “Why bother drinking the alcohol if you can’t get drunk?”

Stiles flushed a bright red and for a moment, Derek thought he’d overstepped. One weekend, Cora had gotten absolutely wasted at a college party and she’d promised not to drink wolfsbane-alcohol ever again. Of course that promise only lasted until the next college party, but maybe Stiles had a reason for not drinking too much wolfsbane. Whatever it was, Derek certainly didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable.

“Oh, she probably thinks I’ve had enough already,” Stiles said quickly. “I’m kind of a lightweight, not all muscle like you.”

Derek let out a sigh of relief. He’d have hated to bring up a painful memory for Stiles on only their second time hanging out together. 

“Point taken,” he said, smirking slightly. “You’re probably done after three shots.”

“Four,” Stiles said, eyebrows furrowing, though Derek could see the playfulness in his eyes. “But that’s not any of your business.”

Erica returned with their drinks, winked at Stiles and then whisked off to serve her other customers.

“Cheers,” Stiles said, grinning as he held up his glass. “To having a good week.”

“Cheers,” Derek agreed, sipping his drink after clinking his glass with Stiles’. “Hopefully I don’t rip out my own throat from being on this cruise for so long, and hopefully the dolphins are everything you hope they are.” 

“They better be,” Stiles said. “And I’ll try to keep you from ripping your throat out,” he added, smiling at Derek.

“You’ll probably have to hang out with me a lot then,” Derek said, taking another sip of his drink to keep from grinning like an idiot. “After you left I think I got hit on by about twenty different guys. I lost track of how many times I had to say that I wasn’t interested in dating.” He rolled his eyes at the memories, especially Douchewolf and his hallway blowjob offer.

“Well you are very attractive and this is a singles cruise,” Stiles pointed out. “You can’t really blame people for trying to get in your pants. But I’m sure once people start pairing off, you won’t get hit on as much. Case in point,” he added, gesturing to Isaac and Scott. “No one’s going to hit on Isaac for the rest of the cruise.

Scott and Isaac hadn’t really moved since Derek had first seen them, and honestly he was a little worried for Scott’s neck. He got that scenting was a big deal, but Scott’s neck was bent at a pretty uncomfortable angle, even for a werewolf. 

“You’re probably right,” Derek said, shaking his head as he watched Scott continue to nose his way up and down Isaac’s neck. “But if you’re not, I’m throwing you overboard. Hopefully you can claw up enough sharks until the Coast Guard arrives to save you.” 

“You better hope I don’t take you with me,” Stiles said, grinning mischievously. “You may outweigh me about fifty pounds, but I’m crafty.”

“I don’t doubt that,” Derek said, letting his eyes flash. “But I think I could take you.” 

“Well let’s just hope that I’m right so I don’t dent your ego when you try to throw me overboard,” Stiles shot back. 

Derek snorted, both at the idea that Stiles could throw him overboard and to prevent himself from laughing out loud. Stiles was actually surprisingly funny, and it was all Derek could do not to let his guard down and get too attached to quickly. Stiles had made it clear that he was on the cruise primarily for the dolphins, and even though he smelled a little bit like arousal, Derek didn’t want to push too much. 

He was enjoying himself with Stiles though, so he supposed that would have to do for now.

“So how are you liking the cruise so far?” Stiles asked. “Have you been exploring yet?”

“Not really, especially since I haven’t even been on this boat for that long,” Derek answered. “But there are a couple of things that look like they could be pretty interesting.”

“You’re one to talk about things that are pretty interesting, hot stuff." 

Derek rolled his eyes and groaned as another werewolf wedged himself in between Derek and Stiles. He smirked at Stiles before completely turning his back on him in favor of practically undressing Derek with his eyes. 

“You are one of the hottest guys I’ve ever seen,” he said, reaching out to stroke Derek’s forearm. Derek growled threateningly and the hand quickly retreated. “What do you say you ditch this loser and come hang out with me and talk about other interesting things? Like how I think it would be really interesting to have your cock in my mouth.”

Derek took another gulp of his drink, completely ignoring the guy. They guy was ballsy, Derek would give him that, but he was still in no way interested. Eventually, the guy took the hint and frowned before leaving the bar. 

Derek look and saw that Stiles was shaking with glee, his eyes bright and one hand covering his mouth to hide his smile. Derek shook his head fondly and continued drinking.

He only got a couple minutes of peace before another guy sauntered up, trying to get Derek to come home with him. Derek ignored him and the four subsequent guys that followed. The last one was so desperate for any kind of attention that he even hit on Stiles after being shut down by Derek. 

Thankfully, Stiles artfully dismissed him, and the guy sulked away from the bar.

“He’s a tool,” Derek said, frowning at the retreated werewolf.

“You’re one to talk,” Stiles replied, quirking an eyebrow. “He literally hit on your for five minutes and you didn’t even say one word to him. He asked Erica to bring you another drink.  You could’ve at least said, ‘no thank you.’ But you glared at him.”

“I don’t want to get hit on,” Derek sighed, rolling his eyes. He supposed Stiles did have a point in that he could be a _little_ nicer, but as far as Derek was concerned, everyone who had hit on him so far was the same. They were only interested in his body and his looks and they didn’t seem like they wanted to get to know him on a personal level before they started sucking his dick.

Not like Stiles, who was staring at him like he was the biggest idiot on the entire planet. Laura gave him a look very similar to that, and Derek made a note that if things did in fact get serious between him and Stiles, he was never allowed to meet Laura, ever.

“Okay, look,” Stiles said, taking a deep breath. “If we’re gonna hang out all week and keep each other sane from the guys that hit on you and then use me as a rebound, I’m gonna need to know a little more about you.” 

“What do you want to know?” 

“How about we start with why you’re so grumpy?” Stiles said, raising an eyebrow. 

“I’m not grumpy,” Derek snorted. “I just don’t really like dealing with people.” He paused for a split second, debating on whether or not he really wanted to open up to Stiles so soon. But Stiles was still looking at Derek like he wanted nothing more than to figure out how his head worked, so Derek plowed on.

“I’m a cop. I deal with enough people during my job. I came on this cruise because I got guilt tripped into it by my mother, because she thinks that I don’t socialize enough inside and outside of work.” 

“Do you think you socialize enough?” Stiles asked, tilting his head curiously.

“I eat lunch with Boyd everyday,” Derek answered.

“Who’s Boyd? Your co-worker? Your boss? Your best friend?”

“He’s the fish that I have in my office,” Derek explained. 

“Dude, that is miserable,” Stiles said, grinning. “No wonder your mom shipped you off on this cruise. I would turn on the tears too. You eat lunch with a goldfish.”

“It doesn’t bother me,” Derek said. “Boyd may as well be my best friend. I shouldn’t have come on this cruise to begin with. I’m not a people person. I’m not looking to date anyone and I can get drinks at home. Coming on this cruise was a mistake.”

Derek took another drink and exhaled as he put his drink back on the table. He felt a little bad for dumping all of that less than exciting information on Stiles, but it still felt good to say it out loud. Regardless, he had a feeling that Stiles would be undeterred whatever he had to say. 

“You could be a little more optimistic,” Stiles said, smiling brightly and proving Derek right. “What if you find a nice werewolf who’s really into you and you guys just hit it off? Maybe I could find someone who I think you would like. Or maybe you could just flirt with some of the humans on the isla—” 

“No humans,” Derek growled, cutting Stiles off mid-sentence. “Definitely no humans.” 

Derek winced as a hurt look flashed across Stiles’ face. Of course Stiles wouldn’t have had any problems with humans. Stiles probably had more human friends than he knew what to do with, and Derek was willing to bet that a ruthless drug kingpin had never targeted any of them.

Unfortunately, Derek couldn’t say the same for his human friend. 

Some nights, Derek lied awake in bed wondering what would’ve happened if he hadn’t busted that drug deal. Sure Deucalion, Kali, and Ennis might still be out on the streets, but then again Paige would never have gotten hurt. Derek wouldn’t have to live with the guilt he felt daily and maybe he would still be able to talk to a human without freaking out. 

“No—no humans?” Stiles asked, and Derek hated how timid and cautious his voice sounded. “What does that mean?”

“I had a bad experience with a human once,” Derek said quietly, clenching his fists at the memory of Paige lying motionless in her hospital bed with various tubes and machines attached to her. “It ended badly for both of us." 

“Oh. Can I ask what happened?”

“I’d prefer if you didn’t,” Derek muttered. “Just know that it was hard on both of us. But I don’t date humans. So if you are going to play matchmaker, just make sure whoever you decide on isn’t a human.”

Derek supposed it was a little harsh to just completely shut Stiles down like that when he was only trying to help. But he didn’t want to get close to another human and risk putting them in danger.

“No humans,” Stiles repeated, and Derek winced at the bitterness in his tone. “Check.” 

*** 

“Are you sure you want to hang out with us tomorrow,” Stiles asked as Derek walked him to his door. “I don’t want you to feel pressured to do anything you don’t want to do." 

“Why are you trying to talk me out of it?” Derek asked. “I already said I would go.” 

 _I want to show you that I’m not a complete dick like I was at the bar, and I like spending time with you_ , Derek didn’t add.

“No—I just, I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable if a bunch of guys start hitting on you tomorrow.”

Derek frowned; he hadn’t thought of that. Of course, it made sense. They were going to be at a waterpark, which meant nothing but swimsuits, and Derek wasn’t an idiot. If he got hit on with his clothes on, he just _knew_ the guys would come clamoring up to him as soon as he took his shirt off. 

“It’ll be fine,” Derek said. “If anything I’ll just pretend that you’re my boyfriend or something.”

Stiles almost choked and Derek’s eyes widened as he realized what he said. It was pretty obvious that Stiles thought he was attractive, and Stiles would’ve had to been the worst werewolf on the planet if he hadn’t picked up on the way Derek’s heartbeat increased just a little when he was around him. But Derek was still a little shocked at how easily he thought of dating Stiles, pretend or not.

Neither of them were looking for anything beyond the cruise, but Derek still couldn’t help but want to be around Stiles for as long as possible.

“Right,” Stiles said, heartbeat racing. “Well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” Derek detected a hint of bitterness in Stiles’ voice, and it was a little confusing to him. He was pretty sure he hadn’t said anything that offended Stiles, so he couldn’t understand where it was coming from. 

Maybe Stiles wasn’t sure he wanted to pretend date Derek? Was that it?

“We’ll be fine tomorrow,” Derek said, trying to be reassuring. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

A frown flashed across Stiles’ face and if Derek hadn’t been paying attention, he would have missed it. “Nothing,” Stiles said. “Should be a fun day.”

“Yeah, we can count how many times Scott scents Isaac or something,” Derek said, desperately trying to lighten the mood. He’d obviously done or said something that had made Stiles uneasy, and he didn’t like it, but he didn’t know what to apologize for. “By the way he was leaking hormones. He was leaking all over the bar. I don’t know how you were able to stand it.”

“Oh you know, practice,” Stiles answered, and he seemed to visibly brighten at the mention of his best friend, which Derek was grateful for. Happy was a good look for Stiles, and Derek was already a sucker for his smile. “Been hanging around Scott all my life. Nothing he does really surprises me anymore.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Derek said. “Isaac seems to like him though. They fit well together.”

Stiles opened his mouth to reply, but a very familiar voice cut him off.

“Derek? Derek Hale?”

Derek closed his eyes and let out a low growl. Out of all the people he’d hope to never see again, Jackson was pretty close to the top of that list.

“What are you doing here?” Jackson asked, looking Derek up and down hungrily. “I haven’t seen you since we broke up.”

“Jackson? I didn’t know you were here?” Derek growled.

“Well if you were still friends with me on Facebook, you would’ve seen my statuses about coming on this cruise,” Jackson sneered. “I think I posted about fifteen.”

And _there_ was one of the reasons he and Jackson broke up. After a while, Derek hadn’t been able to take Jackson’s incessant rambling about himself and how great his life was. Most people in relationships thought that they were lucky to have scored their significant other. Jackson always made sure that Derek knew how lucky _he was_ that Jackson was dating him.

“My loss,” Derek said struggling to keep the growl out of his voice. He felt Stiles shift closer to him and allowed himself to relax ever so slightly. He was _this_ close to reaching down and squeezing Stiles’ hand for support, but he didn’t know how Jackson or Stiles would react to that, so he kept himself in check. “How have you been?” He asked, hating himself the second the question was out of his mouth.

“Good, I think I’ve matured a lot more, since we broke up,” Jackson said, and Derek _barely_ fought off the urge to roll his eyes. “I’m definitely more humble. I remember you said that when you broke up with me. So I’ve really been working on that.”

Beside him, Stiles tried and failed to cover up a snort, but Jackson was either too enamored with himself to notice, or had noticed and simply ignored it.

“Right,” Derek said, nodding his head. “Are you trying to find someone here?”

“I was,” Jackson said. “You know, since the whole your mom setting us up didn’t really work out. But now that you’re here, I think maybe we should give it another shot.”

Derek felt Stiles press even closer to him, almost protectively and Derek fought off the urge to smile. He still wasn’t sure if Stiles was interested in him, but Stiles was definitely smart enough to pick up on his cues that he was not interested in rekindling anything with Jackson.

“I’m not here for love,” Derek said. “I’m only here because my mom guilt tripped me into coming. This is Stiles, but the way.”

“We’ve met,” Jackson sneered. “He slammed into me a little while ago.”

“That’s the same way he met me,” Derek said, tossing Stiles a fond look. His heart swelled when Stiles blushed slightly and looked away. “He seems to have a habit for doing that.”

“Okay, cool,” Jackson said, rolling his eyes. “What are you doing tomorrow, Derek? We should hang out in the Bahamas. See if we can make this work again.”

“I’m hanging out with Stiles tomorrow.”

“Oh, bummer. Well we’ll hang out later. We’ve got all week,” Jackson said, completely oblivious to the glare Derek was sending his way. “I guess I’ll see you around. My cabin is 949, so I was going to take a nap. Nice meeting you, Stiles.”

“I can’t stand him,” Derek said, once Jackson was inside his cabin. “He’s one of the most pompous people I’ve ever met. My mom set us up last year, and it just didn’t work out at all. We lasted two months before I had to end things. I just couldn’t deal with the ego.”

“Yeah, he seems pretty arrogant,” Stiles said. 

“You don’t know the half of it,” Derek said, rolling his eyes. “I’m not looking forward to seeing him this week. Hopefully he’s not going to be at the waterpark too.”

“Hopefully,” Stiles agreed. “So I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Derek answered. “Fun times at the waterpark.”

At least he _hoped_ it would be fun times at the waterpark. Derek was hoping for fun with Stiles and nothing with Jackson. But who knew what would happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd post a cryptic note like "oh no! what's going to happen next!" but it's not like you can't find out.... 
> 
> #sequelproblems. 
> 
> Comments are love. :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late. Registering for senior year of college!! :) 
> 
> Already working on chapter four, so the wait shouldn't be too long!

Derek had to hand it to Scott. The kid looked like he was a rookie werewolf who was in way over his head, but Scott could _really_ put the moves on when he wanted to. If Isaac weren’t already smitten with him, Derek would’ve felt bad for him, because Scott’s flirting game was superb. 

“Can you put a little sunscreen on my back, Isaac?” Scott asked, flashing him an award-winning smile. “I don’t want to get sunburned.”

It was easily the cheesiest, most obvious way to get Isaac to touch him, but somehow Scott made it seem like it was a natural occurrence, like he put sunscreen on every day. Werewolves didn’t get sunburnt; their advanced healing prevented that from happening. It was really just Scott’s very direct way to get Isaac to touch him. And Isaac almost saw through the façade. Almost.

“But you’re a werewolf,” Isaac said, the confusion evident in his voice. “You can’t get sunburned.” 

“Always better to be safe than sorry,” Scott said, raising his eyebrows suggestively. And that was it; Isaac was done. He smiled nervously and fumbled with the sunscreen as Scott tossed it to him. 

“Sure,” he said, struggling with the cap. “Just your back?” 

“I guess you could do my chest, too, if you wanted,” Scott said, shrugging like getting Isaac to put his hands on his chest wasn’t his plan the entire time.

Derek felt like he was watching a nature documentary about the courting habits of the werewolf. _Observe the way the brown haired werewolf seduces his potential mate,_ Derek narrated in his best British accent. _His mate can try to resist, but it is futile. They’ll be fucking by the end of the week._

A cough broke Derek out of his thoughts and he turned to see Stiles smirking and watching fondly as Isaac massaged the sunscreen into Scott’s back. Derek growled to himself and grabbed the sunscreen out of Isaac’s hands. Scott wasn’t the only one who could seduce a guy with sunscreen. Derek quickly squirted some onto his hand and started rubbing it into Stiles’ back.

“What the—”

“You need sunscreen too,” Derek said, trying to sound nonchalant. He could feel Scott frowning at him, probably angry that Derek had stolen his thunder, but Derek really couldn’t care less. It wasn’t like they were flirting with the same guy or anything. “You’re paler than Isaac and you’ll probably burn quickly if you don’t put some on.” 

“Oh, you’re right,” Stiles said, relaxing as Derek massaged the sunscreen into his back and shoulders. “Thanks. I can do you when you’re done doing me.” 

“What?” Scott coughed from where Isaac was rubbing sunscreen across his chest. Isaac chuckled a little bit, but didn’t’ look away from Scott’s chest. The poor kid had it so bad.

Stiles squeaked as he realized what he’d said he flushed a bright red before glaring at Scott and Isaac.

“I mean, I can put sunscreen on your back when you’re done putting some on my back,” he corrected, turning around and offering Derek an apologetic smile.

“It’s fine,” Derek said, trying his hardest not to grin. “I put some on before we got on the boat,” he lied. Scott coughed in the distance, and Derek flashed his eyes warningly before turning back to Stiles. Stiles hadn’t called him on his lie, so why should Scott? “You can put some on me later,” he added, finishing up Stiles’ back.

Derek nodded approvingly at his own handiwork, and then started stripping out of his clothes. As soon as his shirt was off, he smelled the familiar tangy-sweet scent of Stiles’ arousal, and looked to see that Stiles was beet red and seemed to be very interested in the clouds directly above Derek. 

Derek barely fought off the urge to grin triumphantly. Stiles clearly knew that Derek could smell his arousal, so it was really pointless for him to try and pretend otherwise. But if Stiles was trying to play it cool, then Derek could pretend along with him.

“Who smells like arousal?”

“That was me,” Scott said quickly. “Isaac’s just looking really nice in his swim shorts. I couldn’t help myself. Sorry, awkward timing.” 

“Oh,” Derek said, raising an eyebrow. “It just smelled like—never mind. Let’s go.” He really had to hand it to Scott, the kid had game _and_ he was an excellent cover-up. Every competent werewolf would’ve been able to smell that Stiles was the one aroused, and Scott was still trying to cover for him. But Derek didn’t mind. They had all day to spend at the waterpark. He was pretty sure he’d be able to get Stiles aroused again. 

*** 

Derek would like to say that he wasn’t interested in jumping into a relationship with Stiles just yet. Sure Stiles was funny, smart and attractive but Derek had only known him for twenty-four hours, and Stiles could have really annoying habits like not washing the bathroom sink when he shaved or squeezing the toothpaste tube from the middle.

Both would be immediate deal breakers for Derek.

Derek would also like to say that even if Stiles hadn’t slammed into him yesterday, he would’ve met someone who was just as attractive and just as charming as Stiles and would be having the same amount of fun without him.

Derek would like to say all of those things and more, but he would be completely and totally wrong.

Everything just seemed to come so much easier when he was with Stiles. When Stiles smiled, Derek smiled. When Stiles laughed, Derek laughed a little bit too. It was like Stiles’ sunny attitude and disposition were rubbing off on him, and Derek was pretty sure he liked it. He just wanted to be as close to Stiles as possible all the time, and he was pretty sure that was how most relationships started.

Derek wasn’t exactly sure when these feelings started, but he would put his money on them happening in the line towards Leap of Faith. Derek was convinced that Isaac was more of a were-puppy than a werewolf, because he insisted on riding the slide again and again until the line got too long. Since Scott was infatuated with Isaac, Scott tagged along, and Derek was starting to realize that Stiles and Scott were a permanent package deal. So where Scott went, Stiles was sure to not be too far behind.

Derek wasn’t a huge fan of water-slides, preferring roller coasters, but he _was_ a fan of Stiles, so he followed him. The first time they went on the slide, there was no line, which was good. Derek wasn’t impatient, but he didn’t really like waiting. The second time, there were a couple people standing in line ahead of them. 

“It could be worse,” Stiles sighed, leaning back against Derek. “At least we managed to get almost all the way up before we had to wait.” In front of him, Scott and Isaac murmured their agreements, but Derek was too busy focusing on the warmth of Stiles’ back against his chest. Since there were only a few people in front of them, Stiles was only pressed against him for a short time, but it was definitely a highlight for Derek. Except Stiles didn’t to make a huge deal about it, so Derek tried to brush it off.

Until it happened again.

The line was still ‘short’ but the park was gradually filling up. The second and third times, the line was longer than Derek would’ve liked, but it was still short compared to what it could be. Isaac was still practically vibrating with excitement even though he’d already ridden the ride.

“It’s just so much fun,” he gushed, beaming at Scott. 

“I know,” Scott agreed. “I’m having a blast!”

Derek snorted, as if Scott would ever disagree with Isaac. Isaac could probably tell him the sky was green, and Scott would simply blink, smile and agree with him. It would be annoying if they weren’t totally into each other.

“Not gonna lie, this is starting to get a little old,” Stiles whispered, leaning back against Derek again. “I don’t know how many more rides I have left in me. 

Derek _refused_ to imagine Stiles riding anything other than the water slide. “At least the line’s not too long yet,” he muttered. “Better ride it five times now and only wait ten minutes than wait ‘til later where it’ll take two hours to ride it once.”

“Point taken,” Stiles said, turning back around to watch Isaac and Scott take turns seeing who could grin bigger at the other. Derek expected Stiles to stand on his own two feet, but he stayed leaning against Derek, resting the back of his head on Derek’s shoulder.

Derek supposed standing in line was a small price to pay for that. 

The fifth time it happened, Derek had a feeling he was going to have to take a cold shower to keep himself under control. During their fourth time in line, Stiles had leaned against him the entire time they were in line, and by the time Derek got to the top of the slide, the lifeguard had to ask him three times if he was actually ready to go. 

“Isaac, this has got to be the last time for a while,” Stiles said, once again leaning back against Derek’s chest. “It’s not a magic water slide, it’s not going to change the more you ride it.”

“Oh... okay,” Isaac said, nodding. “We can go ride something else if you want…” 

“No, it’s fine, we’re already in line now,” Stiles said, exhaling and leaning further into Derek. “It’s just if I ride this slide again, my head’s gonna explode.” 

Isaac nodded and turned to Scott. “I’m sorry,” he started sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to take over everything. I just really like this slide. You’re sure you don’t—”

“It’s fine,” Scott replied, and Derek rolled his eyes at the way Isaac brightened up when Scott smiled at him. “It’s not like _other_ people were saying what they wanted to do either,” he added, tossing a glance at Stiles.

“Don’t start,” Stiles said, grinning. “Because I have some choice stories I could tell about you, and I don’t know how well Isaac would react to the sandbox incident of ’98.” 

“You wouldn’t.” Scott said, but he was smiling, so whatever happened couldn’t have been that bad.

“Try me,” Stiles shot back. He winked at Isaac before leaning back against Derek. 

“What happened in the sandbox?” Derek asked quietly, resting one of his hands on Stiles’ hips. Hey, if Stiles could get a little physical, Derek could too.

“I convinced Scott that we could dig to the center of the earth, and Scott got stuck in the sandbox and the fire department had to get him out,” Stiles chuckled. “Good times,” he said thoughtfully. He looked down at Derek’s hand and smiled before covering it with his own. “We actually have a lot of inside jokes, but that’s the one that really embarrasses him.”

“I can imagine,” Derek said, smiling softly at Stiles’ hand covering his own. 

“I know this might be a little too forward, too fast, but I’m really glad I met you, Derek,” Stiles said quietly. “I mean I’m glad that Scott met Isaac and all, but I’d be all alone right now if it wasn’t for you." 

“I’d be alone if it wasn’t for you too,” Derek pointed out. “Yeah, you probably would be,” Stiles teased, chuckling when Derek growled good-naturedly. “But seriously. Thanks for coming.” 

“Don’t mention it,” Derek said softly. “I’m having a lot of fun.”

“You mean you like riding the same slide over and over again?” 

“Definitely,” Derek said. “But we should probably find something else to do after we get done with this one. If I ride this slide one more time, I’m gonna go nuts.” 

***

“You _accidentally_ shredded their costumes?” Stiles asked, raising an eyebrow. “You didn’t do it on purpose, out of spite perhaps?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Derek said, struggling to keep the smug look off his face.

Talking to Stiles was actually really pleasant. He had to admit, he’d been a little reluctant to share so much of his life so quickly, especially in a public waterpark, but Stiles just seemed to bring out the best in him. He was annoyingly persistent, but it was more that he was genuinely curious about Derek’s life, rather than asking questions just to get into Derek’s pants. 

Not that Derek would be opposed to Stiles getting in his pants. It was just a nice change of pace that Stiles was asking him about his life instead of asking him if he was a top or bottom.  

But regardless, Derek was enjoying himself. They had split off from Scott and Isaac, who had wanted to go grab food, and now were just floating along the lazy river. Stiles had gotten bored about two minutes in and had started peppering Derek with questions about his life. Now they were going back and forth getting to know each other a lot better, and Derek had to admit, he was liking Stiles more and more with every passing minute. 

“Whatever you say, Derek,” Stiles said, rolling his eyes. “So, what else do you like? Do you like sports? You have to. No one with muscles as nice as yours doesn’t like sports.” 

“I’m a Dodgers fan,” Derek chuckled. “I don’t really know how it happened, but I am.”

“Oh, I see,” Stiles said thoughtfully. “Well, it’s been fun chatting with you Derek, but I don’t think we can see each other anymore. Have a good rest of the cruise.”

‘Wait, wha…” Derek sputtered. “Why?”

“I can’t be seen with a _Dodger’s_ fan,” Stiles said, and Derek absolutely did not breathe a sigh of relief when he saw the mischievous glint in Stiles’ eye. “That’s like sacrilege to a Giant’s fan.”

“You would like the Giants,” Derek said, rolling his eyes. “I knew there had to be something wrong with you.” 

“How dare you,” Stiles said, feigning anger. “I’ll have you know that I really only like the Giants because of Brian Wilson’s beard, thank you very much.” 

“So you’re not really a fan, you’re more of a bandwagon jumper,” Derek replied. 

“I guess so,” Stiles said. “Good thing too, because if I was a die-hard Giants fan, _this_ would not be happening,” he said, gesturing in between them. 

“Oh thank goodness,” Derek deadpanned. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“Well for one, you’d be really bored on this vacation.”

Derek almost had a sarcastic remark, but it fizzled because he knew Stiles was right.

“That’s what I thought,” Stiles said, grinning. “You’re lucky I like you, otherwise you have no idea what you’d be doing right now.” 

“Whatever, Stiles,” Derek replied, trying and failing to keep the grin off his face. It was starting to become a running theme in their relationship. Derek would try really hard to keep a scowl on his face, but somehow Stiles would always so or say something to make it melt right off. 

“He _smiles!_ ” Stiles crowed. “Wow, this is a big accomplishment for you, Der. I bet you don’t do that very often.”

Derek didn’t. But he found that he was doing a lot more of it around Stiles. 

***

The more Derek hung out with Isaac, the more he was convinced that Isaac was actually a were-puppy instead of a werewolf. Sure, his eyes flashed and he’d bared his fangs playfully, but every thing he did was just so _cute_ , Derek could barely take him seriously. 

Case in point: no matter how appetizing they looked, Derek didn’t think that he would ever order chicken nuggets shaped like sea creatures. Hell, Derek couldn’t even remember the last time he’d eaten _regular_ chicken nuggets. But there Isaac was, eating sea creature chicken nuggets like they were the best thing he’d ever eaten.

Derek smiled and shook his head fondly. Despite his puppy tendencies, Derek liked Isaac. He was friendly, loyal, and sensitive and Derek could see them becoming friends in the future, if they weren’t already. Though knowing Isaac, he’d probably say that they were friends at this point. 

Derek watched as Stiles and Isaac went back and forth with their friendly banter as Scott looked on with a warm smile, and suddenly Derek was very glad that his family had forced him to come on this cruise. Stiles was nestled up against his side like he belonged there, and Derek was pretty sure that Isaac wasn’t going to let him leave the cruise without getting his number or adding him on Facebook. So he supposed that every now and then his family had some good ideas. 

Stiles fidgeted against him, leaning closer and trapping Derek’s arm at an uncomfortable angle against his body. Derek managed to wriggle it out without Stiles noticing, but Stiles subconsciously nestled back into Derek’s side, leaving Derek’s arm in no man’s land. Derek looked down at how comfortable Stiles looked nestled up against him, and decided fuck it. If Stiles could get comfortable with Derek, then Derek could get comfortable with Stiles. 

He faked a yawn and draped his arm across Stiles’ shoulders, pulling Stiles even closer to him. Derek looked on fondly as Stiles seemed to melt against him before going back to teasing Isaac about his taste in chicken nuggets. Derek smiled to himself and lightly squeezed Stiles shoulder when he felt a pair of eyes boring into him.

He looked up and saw that Scott was smirking at him with a knowing expression in his eyes. Derek raised a single eyebrow, because Scott wasn’t even in a position to talk. Derek wasn’t even sure how Isaac had been eating his chicken nuggets given the way Scott was wrapped around him. 

Scott looked between Derek and Stiles and nodded slightly, which Derek took to mean that Scott was okay with whatever was going on between Derek and Stiles, but Derek also picked up the subtle underlying threat. Fortunately, Derek had no intentions of hurting Stiles and Scott seemed to realize that. Honestly, Derek still wasn’t to sure what was going on, but it felt like it was heating up pretty quickly and Derek was surprisingly okay with it. Stiles made him happy and if he made Stiles happy then that was just a bonus.

*** 

Derek couldn’t say that he was a fan of the six-person slide. There was something about going down a slide on his stomach that made him feel a little queasy. But seeing Stiles’ smiling face at the end of each run made everything worth it. 

However, when Scott suggested that they ride the tandem slide, Derek was the first to agree. He was a little confused when Stiles seemed reluctant at first, but then Derek caught a subtle whiff of Stiles’ arousal mixed with a little bit of anxiety. No doubt Stiles knew that Derek knew that Scott had covered for him this morning, and Stiles was just a little nervous about being in between Derek’s legs.

Derek smirked to himself, because if only Stiles knew that Derek _wanted_ him in between his legs. Actually he wanted Stiles all over, but he could save those thoughts for another day. 

The line for the tandem slide was surprisingly short and they were at the top of the slide in no time. Derek watched as Isaac lowered himself in between Scott’s legs, and rolled his eyes at the burst of arousal from both of them when Isaac’s back hit Scott’s crotch. No doubt Scott was at least half hard, and Isaac could definitely feel it. 

“Next,” the lifeguard said, looking at Stiles and Derek after she’d pushed Isaac and Scott down the slide.

Derek smiled at Stiles as he walked forward and placed the raft in the starting pool in slide.

“Heavier person in the back,” the lifeguard said, gesturing to Derek.

“Your turn,” the lifeguard said, turning to Stiles after Derek had gotten himself situated in the raft, which was a lot harder than everyone made it look.

Another slight wave of anxiety mixed with arousal tickled Derek’s nose as Stiles sat down in the raft. Anxiety was the _last_ thing Derek wanted Stiles to feel when he was around him, so he decided to try and lighten the mood. 

“Go ahead and lean back,” the lifeguard said, gently pushing Stiles back onto Derek’s crotch, and Derek had to fight to keep his fangs in check as he felt Stiles’ back hit his crotch. 

“I can smell your arousal,” Derek said, grinning when he felt Stiles still on top of him. “And I know that Scott was covering for you this morning, too.”

“I can smell yours too,” Stiles shot back, not missing a beat. “And if you don’t get it under control, I’ll be able to feel it.”

Derek started laughing as the lifeguard pushed them down then slide. He had to admit; the slide was a lot more fun knowing that Stiles had relaxed enough to enjoy himself. Stiles was laughing and whooping at every twist and turn and Derek was laughing along with him, happy to be sharing this moment with him. 

When the slide finally emptied into the lazy river, Stiles hopped off the raft and before Derek knew it, had swam under it and overturned it, sending Derek splashing into the water. 

“That was a mistake,” Derek growled, letting his eyes flash as he emerged from the water. 

“Oh, I’m so scared,” Stiles mocked, fake swooning. And now he smelled of nothing but thinly veiled arousal, and _that_ was something Derek could get behind.

Derek was getting ready to pounce on Stiles, when a piercing whistle caught his attention.

“Keep moving, you’re blocking the lazy river,” one of the lifeguards said, blowing her whistle again.

Derek growled lowly but swam over to Stiles and frowned.

“I know. Buzz. Kill. I was looking forward to getting mauled in here,” Stiles teased, smirking when Derek growled playfully. “ But we could always ride the slide again,” Stiles added, wiggling his eyebrows. “And maybe she won’t be here when we get to the bottom.”

“I like the way you think,” Derek said, grabbing Stiles along with another raft and exiting the river.

*** 

Derek was pretty sure that today was the epitome of a good day. At the very least, he’d had a lot more fun than he thought he would. He’d have to make a note to try and go to waterparks more often—preferably with Stiles. 

Derek smiled to himself as he walked out of the water park. There was really no point in trying to deny it anymore. He liked Stiles. A lot. Thankfully he was pretty sure that Stiles felt the same way, because Derek was positive that there was no one on the cruise that would make him smile like Stiles did.

Derek slung an arm around Stiles shoulders as they made their way back to the ship. Stiles shot him a questioning look at first, but then beamed and leaned into him when Derek smiled at him. Scott shot him a knowing look but Derek snorted and rolled his eyes. Scott didn’t have a lot of room to talk, since he his arm was around Isaac’s shoulders. 

As the four of them were walking, they were stopped by one of the lifeguards. Derek recognized her as the lifeguard who had been on duty while they were in the lazy river.

“I just wanted to say that you guys are the cutest couples,” she said, smiling brightly. “You guys have been popping in and out of my stations all day, and I just really wanted to let you all know that.” 

“Thanks,” Scott replied.

“Thank you,” Derek said as well, offering her a small smile. Even though he knew that he and Stiles weren’t a couple, it was nice to hear that people thought they could be. It gave him hope that maybe he and Stiles _could_ actually be a couple—for real. Derek would not be opposed to the idea at all.

“Um, what was that all about?” Stiles asked, once they were far enough away. 

“Didn’t feel like correcting her,” Derek said honestly. “And we do make a cute couple.” 

Derek tried his hardest not to smile at the way Stiles’ heartbeat quickened and how he relaxed and leaned further into Derek.

He ended up smiling anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Derek you softy, you. 
> 
> Comments are love. :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! 
> 
> Sorry about the wait!
> 
> But this is almost 5k worth of (mostly) completely new material, chock full of Sterek and Scisaac goodness!!

Derek was _elated_ as he made his way back to his cabin. Today had been a great day, and the best part was, it wasn’t even over. Stiles had agreed to get dinner with him, and Derek didn’t even mind that Scott and Isaac were going to be there too. He actually liked them. But he liked Stiles the best.

As he made his way into his cabin, Derek pulled out his phone and saw that he had several missed calls from Laura. Usually, Laura only called multiple times when she wanted to tease him or if she saw a ‘hot guy’ in Beacon Hills and was trying to get him to move back home. But now that he was on the cruise, he wondered what she wanted. 

“Oh, look who finally decided to call me back.”

“Hello to you too, Laura,” Derek said, flopping on the bed. “Did you need something or were you just calling to be annoying like usual?” 

“I’m not annoying,” Laura laughed. “You’re just boring.”

“Do. You. Need. Something?” Derek asked, refusing to take the bait. Laura was a master at goading him and drawing out their phone conversations for hours. And right now Derek really didn’t have time for that. He had to pick out something nice to wear for dinner.

Not that he really needed it. Stiles had already seen him shirtless all day at the waterpark, and based on the not-so-subtle aroma of arousal he’d been leaking all day, Derek was pretty sure he was in the clear no matter what he wore. 

“So angry,” Laura said, and Derek could practically _hear_ the eye roll. “I was just calling to say that I approve.”

“You approve of what?”

“Stiles, or whatever the hell is name is,” Laura said. “I can see why you like him so much. He’s exactly your type. You always did like them long and lean.” 

“How do you even know what he looks like?” Derek asked, ignoring the fact that Laura knew about his preferences in men. If she weren’t his sister, he’d be terrified of her.  

“Really, Derek?” Laura asked. “Like Stiles is a common name? It took ten seconds to find him on Facebook. He’s a cutie.”

“Yeah, I know,” Derek said before he could stop himself. 

“Aww, Derek you’ve got it bad,” Laura laughed. “I’ve bet you’ve spent every minute with him, haven’t you?” 

“We’ve only been on the cruise two days, Laura,” Derek muttered. 

“So I’m going to take that as a yes.” 

“I—yes,” Derek sighed, knowing that it would be pointless to argue. “For the most part, yes.” 

“That’s adorable. What have you done so far?”

Derek gave Laura the watered down version of their time at the water park, and he could practically feel Laura get more and more excited with every word.

“So when did you kiss him?” She asked when Derek had finished. 

“I… I didn’t,” Derek replied. “He said he was going to go take a nap and I told him I’d meet him for dinner later.” 

“So you’re going to kiss him after dinner?” 

“Wha… No. Yes. I don’t know,” Derek stammered. “M-maybe." 

“Okay, how about this,” Laura said. “You _want_ to kiss him after dinner?”

 _I want to kiss him right now,_ Derek thought.

“Oh, Derek! That is adorable,” Laura squealed, and Derek groaned when he realized that he’d been thinking out loud. 

“And you said that going on this cruise was going to be a mistake.” Laura’s voice was filled with glee. “Mom and I were right, as usual.” 

“Whatever.”

“You should be thanking us, Der,” Laura said. “Thanks to us, you found a cute guy you like, and from the sound of things, really likes you back.”

“Yeah,” Derek said, smiling fondly at the thought that Stiles actually liked him back. “Yeah I did.” 

“You big softy,” Laura snorted. “I wish I was there so I could see you two flirt with each other. You’re going to kiss him soon, right?”

“I want to.”

“Good,” Laura said. “I want to be the first person you tell when you do.” 

“Whatever, Laura.”

“You love me,” Laura laughed. “Go get ready for dinner. And make sure you get Stiles some _dessert._ ”

*** 

“Hey.” 

“Hey,” Stiles said, blushing as he answered the door. “You… um. You look good. Great actually. That shirt really makes your muscles look big. Not that your muscles aren’t big enough. Because I’ve seen them. Today at the waterpark you weren’t wearing a shirt and I saw everything and they’re really big and perfect and—” 

“Stiles.” Derek shushed, pressing a finger to Stiles’ lips. “Take a breath.”

“Sorry,” Stiles said. “You do look good though,” he added, blushing a bright red.

It took a considerable amount of effort on Derek’s part not to just kiss Stiles right then and there. He was pretty that they both would enjoy it, but Derek wanted their first kiss to be a _little_ more special. Call him a romantic.

“Thank you,” Derek replied instead. “You look good, too. Where are Scott and Isaac?”

“They said they were almost ready about twenty minutes ago,” Stiles said, rolling his eyes. “But knowing them, they’re probably not even close.”

As if on cue, Scott and Isaac walked out from the cabin next to them, and Derek was blindsided with their combined scent. It was so mingled, that Derek couldn’t place whose individual scent was whose. Derek made a mental note to make sure that his and Stiles’ scents were mingled like that by the end of the night. 

“Hi guys,” Isaac said. “Let’s go get food! I’m hungry!”

“You mean the staggering amount of chicken nuggets you ate at lunch didn’t fill you up?” Stiles joked, raising an eyebrow.

“Werewolf,” Isaac said, grinning and patting his stomach. “You know what it’s like. Or actually—” He paused, eyes widening.

“And on that note, let’s just go get dinner,” Stiles cut in. “You can eat however much you want, Isaac.” 

Derek frowned as he noticed Stiles’ heartbeat increased rapidly. He was chuckling nervously and was looking anywhere but at Derek. Meanwhile Isaac had a mortified look on his face like he’d almost revealed some deep dark secret that was only between him and Stiles.

Whatever was going on, it clearly had made Stiles uncomfortable and Derek didn’t like that. He growled softly and wrapped an arm around Stiles’ waist, pulling him close in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. Stiles made him happy and Derek could think of very few things that Stiles would have to do to make Derek like him any less. 

Stiles looked up at Derek and offered him a small smile before leaning against him, and Derek let out a quiet sigh of relief. Stiles’ heartbeat steadied out and he smelled content and relaxed as he molded himself against Derek’s body. Everything seemed to be back to normal and Derek was glad about that.

“Dining room for dinner?” he asked Scott, trying to change the subject. “I remember one of the attendants telling me about a prime rib special or something.” 

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Scott said, taking Isaac’s hand.

Thankfully, the walk to dinner was uneventful compared to whatever had almost happened outside the cabin doors. There was one skeezy looking werewolf who had looked Stile up and down as they passed, but after Derek flashed his eyes, he’d scrambled away.

“Wow, this place is fancy,” Isaac said as they made their way into the dining room. “A lot nicer than the buffet. “It says seat yourselves,” he added, turning to Scott. “Can we sit by the window? I want to see the ocean.” 

“Whatever you want,” Scott said, nodding, chuckling as Isaac all but bounded over to a table closest to the windows.

Their waiter turned out to be a charming young man from Peru. He nodded approvingly as they gave him their orders: Isaac ordered the salmon, Scott—the BBQ chicken pizza, Stiles chose lasagna and Derek decided on the prime rib. 

“You’re totally sharing that with me,” Stiles answered, poking Derek in the side. “I couldn’t decide between the rib and the lasagna, so I’m glad you ordered it.”

“So you can see if you made the right choice?” Derek asked, raising an eyebrow. “What if I don’t want to share?”

“Tough luck, Grumpy,” Stiles said grinning. “That’s what you get for coming to dinner with me. If you order something I like, I take a bite. Ask Scott.”

“It’s true,” Scott answered, not looking up from where his nose was pressed into Isaac’s curls. “It means he likes you.” 

“Oh really?” Derek asked, turning to Stiles and raising an eyebrow. “You like me?”

“Don’t act like you didn’t know,” Stiles huffed, blushing just slightly. “You like me too, you know.” 

“I did know, I just wanted to hear you say it out loud,” Derek said, smirking a little bit. “And you’re right. I do like you. I like you a lot.”

“Well that’s good to know,” Stiles murmured, now blushing profusely. “I like you a lot too.” 

“Well that’s good to hear,” Derek said, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning outright. “I guess I can share my prime rib with you then.”

“Jerk,” Stiles said, though Derek could tell there was absolutely no heat behind his words. “You were gonna share with me whether you liked me or not.” 

Derek laughed and stretched his arm around the back of Stiles’ chair, letting his fingers brush Stiles’ shoulder. Stiles grinned and leaned back against Derek’s arm, sighing contentedly. Derek would’ve said that they were encroaching on Scott and Isaac levels of cuteness, but quickly corrected himself once he saw that Scott was practically wrapped around Isaac like an anaconda. 

When the waiter brought out their food, Stiles barely gave his lasagna a second glance before reaching over and taking the first bite of Derek’s prime rib.

“What if I wanted the first bite?” Derek teased. 

“Oh well,” Stiles said, grinning back at him. “This is delicious by the way. Good choice.”

“Fine,” Derek growled playfully. He snuck around Stiles’ arm, stealing a generous forkful of Stiles’ lasagna before shoving it in his mouth.

“Mmmmm.” He chewed, winking at Stiles. “So good.”

Stiles looked like someone had slapped him before a huge smile spread across his face. “Alright. Alright. I guess we’re even.”

After that, dinner went off without any other problems. Every now and then Stiles would steal another bite of Derek’s prime rib, and Derek would retaliate by taking another bite of Stiles’ lasagna, but at least they weren’t as bad as Scott and Isaac. They were literally feeding each other; Isaac holding out a piece of salmon on his fork and Scott eating it with a huge smile on his face.

If Derek wasn’t so begrudgingly fond of both of them, they would be incredibly annoying. 

“Now what?” Stiles asked, once dinner was over. “It’s too early to go to bed, and we don’t have to be anywhere tomorrow." 

“There are hot tubs on the top deck,” Scott said. “I know we just spent all day in the water park, but I’d be down if anyone else is.” 

“I’m in,” Isaac said quickly, surprising absolutely no one. “Stiles?”

“I… what about you?” Stiles asked, turning to Derek.

“I’m fine with whatever you want to do,” Derek said, chuckling when Stiles blushed again. Stiles’ frequent blushes were rapidly becoming one of Derek’s favorite parts about him. 

“Hot tubs it is then,” Stiles said, meeting Derek’s eyes and smiling brightly. 

*** 

 Apparently, Scott wasn’t the only one who decided that relaxing in the hot tubs would be a good idea. Thankfully, there was more than one hot tub and they claimed one that overlooked the ocean, so Isaac could be happy. 

“This is nice,” Scott said, looking up at the stars. “Good choice, whoever’s idea this was. Ten out of ten would recommend to a friend.”

Isaac chuckled quietly, while Stiles and Derek both rolled their eyes.

“The stars are pretty,” Isaac murmured, looking up at the night sky. 

“Do you know anything about constellations?” Scott asked. His eyes all but lit up when Isaac shook his head no.

“Buckle up,” Stiles murmured, leaning closer to Derek. “Astronomy was Scott’s second favorite subject in school. I’m convinced the only reason he got into veterinary science is because he knew he could pick up more guys at the vet’s office than the astronomy lab.” 

“Isaac seems to be enjoying it though,” Derek said, watching as Scott pointed out individual stars and constellations and Isaac looked on in wonderment.

“Scott could probably talk to Isaac about quantum physics and Isaac would still be interested,” Stiles shot back. “He’s _smitten_ with Scott, and you know it.”

Derek rolled his eyes and stretched his arm out around Stiles’ shoulders. Stiles took the invitation and snuggled into Derek, resting his hand inside Derek’s thigh. The hot tub was warm and comfortable, but it was nothing compared to feeling the warmth of Stiles body pressed against his own and the pleasant, content aroma that was radiating off of him.

It was incredibly relaxing and Derek gently rubbed Stiles’ shoulders as they listened to Scott tell Isaac the stories behind the constellations of the zodiac. Derek was tempted to lean in an press an gentle kiss to Stiles’ head, but he was enjoying the comforting weight of Stiles’ body against his own too much to move. He could kiss Stiles later. In fact, Derek was pretty sure he was about to fall asleep when he heard a low growl from Scott and smelled two new werewolves around the edge of the hot tub.

“Do you mind if we join you?” the first one asked. Derek _immediately_ didn’t like him. He was incredibly muscular and was wearing a banana hammock that put all of his junk on display. Derek understood that it was a singles cruise and some of the guys were only there to hook up, but there was still such a thing as trying too hard. Derek and Scott had both found guys, and neither of them had needed to take off their clothes to do it. The other guy was almost as bad; he was wearing regular swim trunks, but he was wearing sunglasses even though it was pitch black outside. Derek didn’t know what the criteria was for being a tool, but these guys had to be pretty close, if they weren’t tools already.

Without waiting for an answer Banana Hammock and Sunglasses jumped in the pool, splashing Scott and Derek as they did.

Banana Hammock sat awfully close to Isaac, and if Derek had been in Scott’s position, he probably would’ve broken his arm for the way he was looking at Isaac. But even though Scott’s eyes were blazing gold, he remained in place. Derek suspected that Isaac was holding him back under the water, because Scott looked absolutely livid.

Derek really wanted to help Scott out by glaring Banana Hammock into submission, but he had his own problems to worry about. Sunglasses was sitting uncomfortably close to Stiles. So much so that Stiles’ scent had gone from content to a little panicked and Derek was _not_ okay with that. Stiles squeezed the inside of Derek’s thigh and Derek took a deep breath to try to calm himself down. The last thing he needed was a fight right now. 

At the risk of sounding like a complete and total cliché, Derek felt like he’d been surrounded by wolves. It was like Banana Hammock and Sunglasses were waiting for the exact moment to steal Stiles and Isaac away from them. Derek knew it wasn’t going to happen, Scott and Isaac were all but inseparable and he and Stiles were well on their way, but it was still pretty unsettling to have two rival werewolves trying to steal their guy’s. 

After a couple minutes of awkward silence, Banana Hammock finally made the first move.

“What’s your name?” He asked, turning to Isaac.

“His name is Isaac,” came Scott’s clipped reply.

“I don’t believe I was talking you,” Banana Hammock said evenly, though everyone in the hot tub could hear the challenge laced in his words.

“That’s fine,” Scott replied, narrowing his eyes. “I’m talking to you, though. Leave him alone. He’s with me.” 

“Is he now?” Banana Hammock asked. “Well I’m sure he can speak for himself. How about it, Isaac? You wanna ditch this guy here and head back to my cabin?”

“No,” Isaac said, eyes flashing gold as he shifted closer to Scott. “I’m with Scott. Go away, please.”

Evidently that was not the answer that Banana Hammock was looking for. “Come on, Isaac, you’d really rather be with this guy? He’s a loser. I—”

Banana Hammock barely got the words out of his mouth before Scott had him by the throat and was dangling him above the hot tub. 

“He said he wasn’t interested,” Scott growled. His eyes flashed bright gold, and for a fleeting moment, they flickered alpha red. Derek knew of werewolves exhibiting alpha qualities, he just hadn’t known _Scott_ had it in him. “So, unless you want a broken neck, you can leave.” 

“Alright, alright,” Banana Hammock said, struggling in Scott’s grip. 

Scott growled once more for good measure, before dropping Banana Hammock back into the hot tub. Scott glared at him until he scurried out of the hot tub, tossing frantic glances over his shoulder.

“Jerk,” Scott growled lowly, sitting down next to Isaac. “Are you okay?” he asked softly, taking Isaac’s face in his hands.

“I’m fine, Scott,” Isaac said, covering one of Scott’s hands with his own. “Thank you.” 

“Anything for you,” Scott said, before leaning in and pressing soft, sweet kiss against Isaac’s mouth. 

“Well, isn’t that just adorable?” Sunglasses cut in, and honestly Derek had kind of forgotten that he was there. “How about you and me show ‘em how it’s done, cute eyes?” he asked, winking at Stiles. “I’m sure you and I can put them to shame.”

Derek flashed his eyes and growled threateningly, daring Sunglasses to say another word. Derek pulled Stiles closer to him, glaring when Sunglasses rolled his eyes.

“Fine,” he said, putting his hands up in surrender. “Cuddle with the big bad alpha. There’s tons of more attractive guys on this cruise anyway. You’re not even all that,” he grumbled as he got out of the hot tub.

“He’s lying,” Derek said, once Sunglasses was gone. “You’re the best looking guy on this boat.” 

“I think Scott would disagree with you on that,” Stiles chuckled, pointing to where Scott and Isaac were somewhat passionately kissing against the hot tub wall. Derek chuckled to himself, if anything he was more surprised that it had taken Scott as long to finally make a move.

“To each his own,” Derek murmured, pressing his nose into Stiles’ neck, taking in his scent. Stiles sighed softly as Derek continued to nose his way up and down his neck. As sappy as it sounded, Stiles’ scent was intoxicating. He smelled like rain and cinnamon sugar, and Derek could make out the subtle tangy scent of arousal. And as much as Derek wanted to take Stiles’ mouth, he couldn’t get enough of Stiles’ scent.

“Ahem.” 

Derek pulled his face out of Stiles’ neck to see Scott smirking at him, while Isaac blushed next to him.

“If you’re done scenting my best friend, we were wondering if you two wanted to go get donuts.” 

“You’re sure you’re done making out with Isaac?” Stiles shot back, squeezing Derek’s hand under the water. 

“Hmmm,” Scott said, faking a thoughtful expression. “Nope,” he said, grinning pulling Isaac close and planting another messy kiss on his lips.

“Scott,” Isaac whined, pushing him away, though Derek could see the smile on his face.

“So, donuts,” Stiles said, rolling his eyes as he got to his feet. “I actually could go for some food right now. What about you?” he asked, turning to Derek.

“I’m okay with whatever you want to do,” Derek said honestly, and he could practically hear Laura laughing at him.

Stiles flushed and bit his lip and Derek couldn’t help the soft smile that spread across his face.

“To donuts!” Scott howled. 

*** 

“So I had fun a lot of fun today,” Stiles said as they walked back to his cabin. Scott and Isaac had gone back a while ago to ‘get to bed early’, but they hadn’t fooled anyone. “The waterpark was great, dinner was delicious and I almost saw two fights break out. Best. Day. Ever.” 

“You need to get out more,” Derek said, rolling his eyes. 

“Whatever,” Stiles shot back. “Sorry not all of us are cops who save the day every single time. I bet you’ve saved kittens from burning buildings and foiled the plans of the drug mafia and just brushed it off like it was nothing.”

Derek choked at the end of Stiles’ sentence. Of course Stiles couldn’t have known what had happened between Derek, Paige, and the Alphas. Stiles had asked, but Derek had shut him down. It still hurt to talk about what happened to Paige, and now Stiles was just obliviously bringing it up in passing.

Derek didn’t know if he would ever really be over what had happened with Paige. It had done such a number on him. He’d considered dropping the police force all-together, but his mother and Paige’s mother demanded that he do no such thing. He hadn’t talked to Paige since the accident, still unable to face her, to apologize for what he had done. Everyone said she was doing great, had made a full recovery, but Derek just… he couldn’t do it. He was so ashamed of what had happened to her, he didn’t think he’d ever be able to look her in the eye again.

“Der?” Stiles asked softly, noticing Derek’s pained facial expression. “Der, I… did I say something? Oh no, I’m so sorry, Derek. I didn’t…” 

“It’s fine, Stiles,” Derek tried, schooling his face into a half-smile. “You didn’t know. It’s not a big deal. I’ll just sleep it on it, and I’ll feel better in the morning.”

“You swear?” Stiles asked, looking at him doubtfully. 

“I promise,” Derek said honestly. He never slept well when someone brought Paige up, and he had a feeling that he wouldn’t sleep well tonight. But he was looking forward to spending all day with Stiles tomorrow, so that was the one redeeming quality. If there was anyone who could look past all of the fucked up stuff with the Paige situation, it was Stiles.

Stiles looked at Derek for a long moment. “Okay,” he said finally. Derek opened his mouth to respond, but Stiles engulfed him in a bear hug instead. “If you ever need to talk,” he murmured against Derek’s chest. “I’m here for you.” 

“Thanks, Stiles,” Derek said, squeezing him tight. “That means more than you know.”

***

Unsurprisingly, Derek hadn’t slept well the night before, tossing and turning and being plagued with nightmares of Paige’s accident. But hanging out with Stiles all day had fixed that, aside from the masseuse who had gotten a little too handsy, today was already a great day. 

But since the universe hated him, Derek’s good day looked like it was coming to a screeching halt. 

“That hurts my feelings,” Jackson sneered. “Tell you what—have lunch with me, hang out with me tonight and let me hang out with you guys tomorrow, and I’ll tell you how Paige is doing. I’m _sure_ you’d like to know more about her, wouldn’t you?” 

“You—you still talk to Paige?” Derek choked out. Ordinarily, he wouldn’t have given Jackson the time of day, Derek had been hanging out with Stiles and whatever Jackson had to say would’ve been irrelevant, but _Paige._ She’d been Derek’s weakness, especially after the accident, and even though Derek couldn’t bring himself to face her, he still _ached_ to know that she was doing all right. “How is she?” Derek asked. “I haven’t spoken to her since—since the accident.” 

“She’s my cousin, Derek, of course I still talk to her,” Jackson sneered. “It’s been, what, two years since it happened? She’s changed a lot.” 

“I—I don’t—is she okay?” Derek asked softly, squeezing Stiles’ hand for support. “Jackson, just tell me, how is she doing?” 

“Have lunch with me,” Jackson sneered, and Derek had never wanted to break his arm more in his entire life. “And hang out with me tonight, and I want to come hang out with you tomorrow, and then I’ll tell you everything you want to know.” 

Derek whined softly. On one hand: Stiles. And everything about him. His smile. His laugh. His sense of humor. His _scent._ Derek couldn’t get enough of him. On the other hand: Paige. He’d always have a soft spot for her, and any update on her was welcome. Even if it came from Jackson. 

“You hung out with Stiles all day yesterday,” Jackson said, eyes narrowing. “He doesn’t have history with you like I do. And I’m sure he won’t mind if I steal you for the rest of the day and tag along tomorrow. _Will_ you, Stiles?”

Stiles looked up at Derek, and Derek searched his eyes. Stiles’ eyes were beautiful and Derek could look at them for ages, getting lost in their steely determination. But now Stiles’ eyes were soft and sympathetic, like he understood exactly what Derek was going through.

“No, I don’t mind,” Stiles said, turning back to Jackson and glaring. “You’re welcome to join us tomorrow, Jackson.”

“See that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Jackson said, smirking. “Derek?”

“Today and tomorrow only,” Derek growled, eyes flashing. “And then you tell me how Paige is doing." 

“A deal’s a deal,” Jackson said, smirking triumphantly. “I have a table on the other side of the dining room, so let’s go  _way_  over there, shall we?”

Jackson turned and walked away and Derek glared at the back of his head.

“Sorry,” Derek said softly, turning back to Stiles. He _needed_ Stiles to know that under any other circumstances, he would’ve have told Jackson to fuck off. But Paige. “I just—I need to know, okay?”

“Hey, it’s fine,” Stiles said, placing both hands on Derek’s shoulders, and Derek let out a pained whimper at the contact. “It’s not the end of the world.”

“It kind of is,” Derek grumbled. “Wait up for me tonight? I’ll try to stop by later.”

“Sounds good,” Stiles said, smiling softly. “I’ll try my best.”

“Okay,” Derek said softly. He tilted Stiles’ chin up and pressed a soft kiss to his mouth. It wasn’t the most ideal first kiss by any means, and Derek would’ve liked for it to have been a lot more passionate, but he’d just needed something to show Stiles that he’d rather spend ten minutes with him than all day with Jackson. Stiles’ eyes lit up and a flush spread across his cheeks when they broke apart and Derek had to fight the urge to jump right back in. But if everything went well, he’d be back with Stiles by the end of the night.

“Thank you,” Derek said softly, before following Jackson.

He only hoped he didn’t kill Jackson before he got a chance to learn about Paige.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry. I have no excuses.

“Isn’t this just like old times, Derek?” Jackson asked, cutting into a piece of steak. “You, me, a nice lunch, no annoying distractions. God, it just takes me back. Remind me why we broke up again?” 

Rather than humor Jackson with an answer, Derek just pushed around his carrot cake around with his fork. He didn’t even like carrot cake to begin with; he’d only gotten it because he’d heard Stiles mention to Scott that it was his favorite. But now that Stiles wasn’t with him, Derek was stuck with Jackson and a huge slice of carrot cake that he had no idea what to do with. He honestly didn’t know which one was worse. 

“You know, it’ll probably be easier for the both of us if you just talk to me,” Jackson teased, raising an eyebrow. “You can’t glare at me all day.” 

“We broke up because I think you’re an egomaniac, and I realized don’t need that in my life,” Derek deadpanned as he continued to glare at Jackson. He shot a subtle glance in Stiles’ direction, and was somewhat relieved that Scott and Isaac seemed to be doing their best to cheer Stiles up. Stiles looked over at offered Derek a small wave, but Jackson quickly snapped his fingers in front of Derek’s face and Derek begrudgingly turned his attention back to Jackson. 

“Eyes over here, Derek,” he said, tossing Stiles a cocky grin. “You’re with me for the time being. You can go hang out with your little boy-toy later.”

“He’s not my boy-toy,” Derek growled.

“Whatever you say,” Jackson said, rolling his eyes. “I have to say though, out of all the guys on the cruise, _he’s_ the one you went for? Not to be rude, but he’s not exactly a catch. There are tons of hotter guys on this cruise. And I know you _just_ said I was an egomaniac, but _come on_. I’m way more attractive than he is.” 

“I don’t want any of them,” Derek said, grimacing as he took a bite of his cake. It tasted horrible. He couldn’t imagine why Stiles liked this stuff. Whose bright idea was it to put vegetables in cake anyway? 

Derek tossed another glance over in Stiles’ direction. Now Stiles and Isaac were smiling as Scott was telling some sort of story, complete with wild hand gestures. Derek had no idea what Scott was talking about, but at least Stiles was enjoying himself more than Derek was. That was all that really mattered.

“Ugh, come on, Derek,” Jackson said, tugging at his wrist. “We’re leaving.” 

“What? Why?” 

“Because I can’t handle you mooning over that spastic, skinny loser from all the way across the dining room,” Jackson said, pulling Derek out of the dining room. Derek craned his neck to try and wave goodbye to Stiles, but Jackson was pulling him away too fast and Stiles was too engrossed in Scott’s story. 

“If he’s distracting you then we’ll go somewhere else,” Jackson continued as they exited the dining room. “Like I said, this is _our_ time together. You can go back and hang out with him later. Let’s go to the bar. Sound good?”

“Not particularly.” 

“Okay,” Jackson said, tilting his head. “I mean, I can go to the bar by myself, and then I can not tell you anything about Paige. Or. We can go to the bar _together_ and I can tell you about Paige tomorrow like I promised. Your choice.”

Derek growled softly, but nodded his head, much to Jackson’s pleasure.

As they made their way to the bar, Derek lost track of the number of werewolves who made catcalls at him and Jackson. He felt like a trophy husband based on the number of men who were whistling and looking him up and down like they were imagining what he looked like naked. 

Of course Jackson was loving all the attention they were getting, and grinned cockily every time anyone made eye contact with him or Derek. 

Thankfully Erica wasn’t working by the time they got to the bar. Derek didn’t think he’d be able to handle her disapproving glares when she saw that he wasn’t with Stiles. There was a slim chance that she would tear Jackson to shreds for stealing him away from Stiles, but as much as he disliked Jackson, Derek didn’t want any more blood on his hands. 

“What can I get you two?” 

“I’ll take a vodka-soda,” Jackson said, looking the bartender up and down approvingly. “Derek?” 

“Jack and Coke,” Derek said, trying to convey that he would rather be anywhere else on the planet than at the bar. 

Apparently, it didn’t work, because the bartender flashed him a broad smile and went to work making their drinks. 

“Well, isn’t this so much better?” Jackson asked, leaning back against the back of his barstool and folding his arms behind his head. “Lots of attractive guys, a fucking hot bartender and most of all no Stiles.” 

“Whatever,” Derek growled, nodding in thanks as the bartender served him his drink. The bartender hadn’t done anything wrong, so there really wasn’t a reason for Derek to be a dick to him.

Jesus. Stiles’ friendly attitude was rubbing off on him already.

“So how’s your family, Derek?” Jackson asked, sipping on his drink. “I haven’t really seen them since we broke up.” 

“You know they don’t like you, right?” Derek asked, raising an eyebrow. “Why would you ask about them?”

“Sorry that I’m trying to make conversation, Derek,” Jackson scoffed. “That’s more than I can say for you. I get that for some odd reason you’d rather be with Stiles, but since Stiles can’t tell you what happened to Paige, it looks like you’re kind of stuck with me, huh?” 

Derek shut his eyes and bit his lip, hoping to God that when he opened them that Jackson would’ve magically been transported somewhere far, far away and Stiles would be sitting in his spot. Unfortunately, when he reopened his eyes, Jackson was still there grinning cockily at him. 

“Fine,” Derek grumbled. “My parents are fine, they keep asking me to move back to Beacon Heights every other week, but that’s nothing new. Laura is good, I think she’s going to get engaged soon. All she does is talk about how much her boyfriend loves her. And Cora just finished her master’s program in architecture.”

“See, was that so hard?” Jackson asked. 

Derek spent the rest of the night answering Jackson’s various questions about his life with as little words as possible. Every now and then someone would come up and comment about how he and Jackson made such a good couple since both of them were so good looking and Jackson would preen every time. 

They stayed at the bar well past sunset as Jackson continued ordering drinks and appetizers. Jackson had tried to act like he was a big spender because of all the stuff he was ordering, but Derek was quick to point out that everything on the cruise was complimentary, since the cruise tickets hadn’t been cheap. The bartender continued to smile every time he brought something new over, and Derek was almost positive that if Jackson wasn’t trying to win him back, he’d be all over him. The amount of eye-fucking between the two of them was ridiculously obvious. 

“I’m getting pretty tired,” Jackson yawned. “You want to come up to my cabin for a little bit? Talk? Watch a movie? See where things go?” 

“Not particularly,” Derek grumbled. “Plus I told Stiles I would try and stop by tonight.” 

“It’s almost two in the morning, Derek,” Jackson said. “He’s probably asleep by now. Just come back up to mine. I won’t try anything I swear.” 

“I told him I’d at least try,” Derek replied. “So that’s what I’m going to do. And if he’s not there, I’m sleeping alone.” 

“You don’t trust me,” Jackson said, smirking. “I don’t know what I have to do to get you to trust me again.”

“Maybe you should start by not holding Paige over my head to get me to hang out with you,” Derek said, crossing his arms. 

“Yeah, but it’s so much more fun to see you all grumpy and stuff,” Jackson replied, grinning mischievously. “But at least you only have to put up with me for at least one more day. But I can’t keep you two apart all night. Go find Stiles,” he said, waving his hand dismissively. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

***

“For the last time, Scott, I’m fine. Go to bed,” Stiles’ voice came through the door.

Derek smirked to himself. He could totally see Scott and Isaac trying their best to cheer Stiles up all day, and he was glad that Stiles had them in his life. However, he was gladder that it sounded like Stiles missed him. Derek knew that he’d missed Stiles during his day with Jackson, and it was good to know that Stiles missed him back.

“It’s not Scott. It’s me, Derek.”

Less than a second later, the door opened and Stiles was standing in the doorway, looking like Christmas had come six months early. 

“Hi,” Stiles said as he opened the door, and Derek smiled softly in response, taking in Stiles’ appearance. He was dressed in flannel pajama pants and a batman sleep shirt, and he looked like he was seconds away from falling asleep standing up.

“Were you sleeping?” Derek asked, smiling as Stiles struggled to fight off a yawn. “I didn’t know—I can come back later if you want.”

“No, no, I mean—I was about to, but I was just watching the Spiderman movies,” Stiles said quickly, heartbeat picking up. He flushed slightly and bit his lip, and Derek smiled softly in response. “Do you want to come in?” 

“Okay,” Derek answered as he shuffled into the cabin. Even though Stiles had been sleeping here for less than a week, the cabin reeked of him. Derek took a deep breath, taking in Stiles’ scent as he sat down on the bed. Derek had smelled Stiles’ scent before, but smelling it so concentrated all over the room, and having Stiles right there in front of him, made Derek’s heart ache with want.

“So how did it go with Jackson?” Stiles asked quietly, sitting down next to Derek.

“It sucked,” Derek said, frowning at the memory. “It was like our first date all over again, except this time he couldn’t shower me with money because everything on this ship is already paid for. It’s hard to say, ‘bill’s on me’ when I paid for dinner when I bought my ticket.”

Stiles chuckled and rested his head on Derek’s shoulder. Derek leaned in, resting his head on Stiles’, reveling in their closeness. Jackson had been trying to touch him all day, but feeling the warmth of Stiles’ body pressed against his own was a welcome change. 

“But other than that? It went well?” Stiles asked hopefully.

“Not really” Derek answered darkly. “He tried to win me back saying stuff like we were really good together and our break up was unfortunate, and it just was really uncomfortable. I’ll be glad when I don’t have to deal with him anymore. I broke up with him for a reason.”

“Makes sense,” Stiles agreed. “He seems like a bit of a tool.”

“That’s putting it lightly,” Derek snorted. He yawned and lied back on Stiles’ bed and put one arm behind his head. If Laura had been in the room, she would’ve rolled her eyes at him for being so obvious, but Derek really couldn’t bring himself to care. He tried to make himself look as inviting and comfortable as possible in hopes that Stiles would lie down next to him. “I had fun yesterday,” he said, smiling softly up at him. “And I had fun at the water park, too.”

“I had fun too,” Stiles said as he snuggled down next to Derek. Derek wrapped an arm around his body and pulled him close and nuzzled Stiles’ head as Stiles nestled closer to his body. He could hear the gentle pulse of Stiles’ heartbeat and it was incredibly comforting, especially considering the shitty day he’d had. “I had lots of fun, actually.”

“I’m excited for tomorrow too,” Derek continued softly. He took a deep breath, trying to memorize what Stiles’ scent smelled like. They’d shared some tender moments so far on the cruise, but Derek had never felt more relaxed in his life, lying with Stiles. It was a feeling that he didn’t plan on giving up any time soon. “I’m less excited that Jackson will be there, but I’m glad you’ll be there too.”

Stiles murmured quietly and cuddled closer to Derek and Derek tightened his grip on Stiles’ body in response. He wondered if he could talk Stiles out of going to the river tomorrow, and spend the day cuddled in bed instead. It was a tantalizing idea, but then Derek wouldn’t get any information about Paige from Jackson, and as much as Derek would rather spend time with Stiles instead of Jackson, he hadn’t had any news about Paige since the accident, and he really needed the closure. 

He sighed. It looked like he would have to go to the river with Stiles and Jackson after all. 

“Did Jackson say anything about Paige?” Stiles asked cautiously.

“No,” Derek answered, frowning at the memory. “I tried to get him to at least tell me how she was doing, but he said I would have to wait until we left Jamaica. He kept smirking like he knew something, but he wouldn’t tell me anything.”

“Can I ask what happened?” Stiles asked, placing his hand on Derek’s chest. “You know, between you and Paige.”

Derek sighed. “I’d rather you didn’t,” he said quietly. “At least, not now,” he added. But he smiled softly and pressed a gentle kiss to Stiles’ hair. “I just want to make sure that she’s okay first, and then I’ll tell you everything, okay?”

“That’s fair,” Stiles answered. “I can completely respect that.”

“Thank you,” Derek said, squeezing Stiles slightly. Stiles hummed softly and nestled closer to Derek’s body. He seemed to be enjoying the warmth that Derek’s body emitted, which was a little weird seeing as Stiles emitted the same heat since he was a werewolf too. 

But if it kept Stiles snuggled up close to him like this, then Derek wasn’t complaining. He noticed that Stiles’ hand was still resting on his chest, and he brought his own hand up to cover it. Derek smiled to himself as he looked at their contrasting skin tones. His own large, tan hand almost dwarfing Stiles’ smaller, pale one. But Derek liked the way they looked and judging by the small smile on Stiles’ face, he liked the way they looked too.

Derek smiled to himself, pressed a light kiss to Stiles’ forehead and drifted off into sleep. 

***

Derek woke up the next morning to Stiles sprawled out over the top of him, his head and chest on Derek’s torso, and his legs intertwined with Derek’s. Stiles’ head was nestled in the crook of Derek’s shoulder and his mouth was parted, whistling softly as he breathed. 

Derek took a minute to take all of Stiles in, smiling to himself when Stiles murmured something in his sleep and nuzzled into closer into Derek’s neck. Derek pressed a gentle kiss to the crown of Stiles’ head and rubbed his back as he slept. Derek took a quick glance at the clock and saw that there were a couple of hours before their trip to the river. He could either let Stiles sleep until it was time to go, or he would wake him up and they could grab breakfast with Scott and Isaac and then go. 

Derek’s stomach rumbled in hunger and he had his answer. 

“Stiles,” he said softly, gently shoving Stiles off of him. “Hey, wake up.” 

Stiles blinked a couple times and yawned as he slowly woke up. 

“Hi,” he said, smiling sleepily. 

“Hey,” Derek said. He couldn’t keep the smile off his face. Stiles was adorable when he was waking up, and Derek wanted to wake up to him a lot more in the future. “How did you sleep?” 

“Better than I have in a long time,” Stiles said, resting his forehead against Derek’s. “I think that’s your fault. I think I’m going to have to keep you around.” 

“Oh yeah?” Derek replied, raising an eyebrow. “What’s in it for me?” 

Stiles smiled back at him, leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to Derek’s mouth. “That good enough for you?”

“I don’t know,” Derek said, chewing in his lip as he pretended to be deep in thought. “How do I know you’re not parading around the ship kissing other werewolves?” 

“Cross my heart, you’re the only one I’ve kissed,” Stiles said, grinning as he snuggled closer into Derek’s body and squirmed around a little trying to find the perfect spot. 

“Good,” Derek said, snorting fondly and pulling Stiles closer to him. “That’s good.” 

“You’re not getting all possessive on me, are you, Der? Stiles asked. His face was still pressed into Derek’s chest, but Derek could practically _feel_ the cheeky grin on his face. 

“You like it,” Derek said, smiling to himself when Stiles hummed in response. 

They stayed in bed for about a half and hour doing nothing more than cuddling and drifting in an out of sleep. Around 9:30, Scott and Isaac sleepily wandered into the room and practically fell into bed on top of them. Derek raised an eyebrow, but rolled his eyes when Isaac blinked twice, yawned and all but folded himself next to Stiles and fell asleep. 

It was like a mini-puppy pile, and Derek couldn’t help but feel a content affection being surrounded by Stiles and his friends. Granted, he would’ve preferred to just be him and Stiles, but he had developed a pretty tight friendship with Scott and Isaac over the past couple of days that he’d been on the cruise. 

He was probably closer to Scott, Isaac and especially Stiles than he was to all of his co-workers back in New York. 

He certainly wouldn’t let any of them into bed with him, that’s for sure. 

The four of them remained in bed for another fifteen or minutes or so, enjoying each other’s company, trading nuzzles and caresses when Isaac broke the comfortable silence. 

“So… this is nice and all. But we should probably get to breakfast. Plus we’ve got to catch our boat to Jamaica too.” 

“Or. We could stay here and enjoy the moment,” Scott replied smoothly, nibbling at Isaac’s collarbone. “We don’t have to be at the river first thing in the morning.” 

“Scott, it’s 10:15,” Isaac pointed out. “And don’t try to tell me that you’re not hungry. I can _feel_ your stomach growling.” 

“I’m kind of hungry too,” Stiles added, chuckling at Scott’s pout. “Come on, Scott. Maybe if we’re lucky we can grab a booth and you can cuddle while you eat.” 

“Don’t act like you won’t be doing the same with Derek,” Scott shot back good-naturedly as he and Isaac begrudgingly rolled out of bed. 

“I never said otherwise,” Stiles said, grinning. He hopped out of bed, and Derek couldn’t help but whine at the loss of contact. 

“Oh relax,” Stiles said, rolling his eyes. “Of course, I’ll cuddle with you in the booth. But I really need a shower. Wouldn’t want to smell bad for my favorite werewolf.”

“Hey! I thought I was you favorite werewolf,” Scott cut in. 

“You may have been demoted,” Stiles joked. “Besides, I’m sure you’re Isaac’s favorite werewolf, so it’s pretty much the next best thing.” 

Isaac flushed bright red and Scott was quick to sling an arm around his shoulders, pull him close and press a kiss to his cheek. 

“And my work here is done,” Stiles said, winking as he headed into the bathroom. 

“I really hate him sometimes,” Scott said as he listened to Stiles loudly sing in the shower. Then he turned his attention to Derek and a steely look appeared on his face. “Look, I know that you and Stiles have gotten pretty close over the past few days, but I’m just letting you know now, if you’re planning on hurting or humiliating him at the end of this cruise, I’ll make your life miserable. Alpha or not.” 

“I won’t,” Derek said, admiring Scott’s fierce determination. “I would never do that. I really like him.” 

“Yeah, I know,” Scott said, rolling his eyes. “And I know that you wouldn’t do anything like that. I just really wanted to threaten you. Did it work?”

“Barely,” Derek said, pinching his thumb and forefinger together. “Next time try growling and letting your eyes flash. It works wonders for me.” 

A funny look passed across Scott’s face before he shook his head and laughed. “Who would’ve thought you’d have a sense of humor,” he chuckled. “I can see why Stiles likes you. You two are good together.”

“Thanks,” Derek said truthfully, thankful that he had the support of Stiles’ best friend. “That means a lot coming from you.” 

“I’m sure you’d say the same if our positions were reversed,” Scott said, smiling broadly. “I’ll give you and Stiles some time, and we’ll see you at breakfast.” 

***

“How much would I have to pay you for you to let us leave him?” Stiles asked, once Jackson was in the bathroom. Derek laughed mirthlessly and nestled his face in Stiles’ neck. He was so glad that Stiles had a sense of humor and was able to play off all the horrible things that Jackson had said. 

Derek had _known_ that once Jackson and Stiles officially met each other that Jackson was going to take every opportunity to try and tear Stiles down. But he hadn’t thought that Jackson would be _that_ bad. Derek couldn’t understand why Stiles wasn’t livid right now. Because Derek sure was, and Jackson hadn’t even been talking to him. 

But Stiles’ heartbeat had remained steady the entire time, and he’d taken every one of Jackson’s digs and insults with a smile and chuckle and it would’ve been so much more amusing to watch Jackson continue to try to push Stiles’ buttons if Derek hadn’t been the one getting offended. 

“So, you and me?” Stiles asked carefully, heartbeat starting to pick up. “What’s exactly going on here? Like I just want to make sure you’re not using me to make Jackson jealous. Even though I would totally be okay with that, because Jackson is a total dick and you’re really hot and I like spending time with you. But like you can pick lots of other hot guys on the boat to make Jackson jealous, and I was just curious why you didn’t pick one of them. I saw this one guy in the hot tub with really big muscles and a great a—”

“Stiles.”

Derek smiled softly as Stiles stopped mid-sentence and turned to look at him. He cradled Stiles’ face in his hands and brushed his thumbs across Stiles’ cheeks. 

“I’m not using you to get back at Jackson,” Derek said resting his head against Stiles’ forehead. It was a little interesting to see that there was a complete 180 in Stie;s’ demeanor. When Jackson had been sitting next to him, Stiles had been the epitome of confidence, but now that Jackson was gone, Derek could see that Stiles hadn’t made it out of the conversation as unaffected as he seemed. Jackson had managed to strike some nerves, but Derek was going to do his best to reassure Stiles that nothing Jackson had said mattered. 

“Listen to my heartbeat,” Derek said softly. “I like you a lot, and I really like hanging out with you. Did I lie?”

“No,” Stiles murmured, his heartbeat was still hammering away, but it didn’t falter, indicating that Stiles knew that Derek was telling the truth. “You’re telling the truth.”

“Yeah,” Derek said softly. “You’re a really great guy, and I think you’re a lot of fun. You’re exactly the kind of guy I need after some of the stuff that’s happened to me. Lie?”

“No,” Stiles murmured again. A small smile was starting to form at the corners of his mouth, like he couldn’t believe that this was happening. And Derek couldn’t help but smile in response. Stiles’ smiles were contagious. “No lie. So—I don’t? Are we, like, dating?” he asked, a small tone of hesitation in his voice.

“I don’t know if we need to put the ‘boyfriend’ label on it quite yet, but I’d prefer it if you only smelt like me,” Derek huffed, pressing his face back into Stiles’ neck, in what he hoped was a reassuring gesture. It hurt him to say, but he didn’t want to pressure Stiles into going into anything too fast. As much as Derek would’ve liked to call Stiles his boyfriend, he didn’t know if that was what Stiles really wanted, or if he was only doing it because it was what he thought Derek wanted.

Even though Derek _did_ want Stiles to be his boyfriend, he’d wait until Stiles posed the question. Stiles seemed nervous about asking to be boyfriends, like he was asking because he thought it was what Derek wanted. And Derek certainly didn't want to pressure him into doing anything that he didn't want to do. For now, the scenting would have to do as way to show the other wolves that Stiles was spoken for. 

“Scott scents me sometimes though,” Stiles said, lacing his fingers through Derek’s as Derek nosed his way up and down Stiles’ neck. “And Isaac has too.”

“Not worried about them,” Derek hummed along Stiles’ neck. “Worried about Jackson.”  


“You think Jackson is gonna try to steal me away from you?”

“Doubt it, I think he’s trying to steal me away from you,” Derek replied, scrunching his nose at the mere thought of dating Jackson again. He’d rather date Scott. 

“That would imply that I have you,” Stiles said, combing Derek’s hair with his fingers.

“I think that’s a pretty safe bet,” Derek said, rumbling happily at the contact. Stiles _did_ have him. If Stiles had any idea how far Derek was gone on him… well. Derek was pretty far gone on him. “You smell nice,” he said, pulling his face out of Stiles’ neck.

“I smell nice?” Stiles asked, heartbeat skyrocketing again. Derek pulled back in confusion. He didn’t mean to offend Stiles in any way, but something about commenting on Stiles’ scent really seemed to get to him. 

“Yeah,” Derek said, trying to be as soothing as possible. The last thing he wanted was for Stiles to feel uncomfortable around him. “You smell nice and comforting. It’s a home-y smell and it’s kind of calming. Even if I didn’t know anything about you, I would feel comfortable around you based on your scent.”

“Gotcha,” Stiles said, his heartbeat returning to normal. He let out a sigh that sounded like a mix of nervousness and relief and leaned into Derek’s body. “So I smell nice to you.”

“Yeah,” Derek replied. “I like it,” he said, smiling. “How mad do you think Jackson will be if we go outside and pretend like we left him?”

“I guess there’s only one way to find out,” Stiles said, smirking.

***

Despite Jackson doing his best to try and rain on his parade, Derek would have to say that he’d had a pretty good day today. He’d woken up and cuddled with Stiles and then had cuddled with Scott and Isaac, which surprisingly hadn’t been that bad. And even though Jackson had crashed breakfast and pretty much tried to ruin their time at the river, hanging out with Stiles had more than made up for it. Especially now that they were kinda sorta not quite dating. 

If only Laura and his family could see him now.

He was sitting in the hot tub, enjoying the fact that he could be completely obvious with his scenting, because as far as Derek was concerned, he was the only one that was allowed to scent Stiles anymore since they were pretty much dating. And it didn’t seem like Stiles had any problems with it either, especially going by the content hums and the way he was stroking the back of Derek’s hand underneath the water. 

Derek was in his own little world, so of course Jackson’s voice had to go and break him out of it. 

“Let’s go to the mainland instead,” Jackson said. “I want to go shopping.” 

Derek pressed his face deeper into the crook of Stiles’ neck, hoping that Stiles’ scent could distract him long enough so that Jackson would go away. 

“Why don’t you just go by yourself, dude?” Scott asked, irritation evident in his voice. Derek was liking Scott more and more every minute. 

“I want to hang out with you guys,” Jackson shot back. “Nothing you can really do about it.” 

And that was it. Derek could deal with the way that Jackson was pushing him around. He supposed he deserved a little bit of it, especially given what had happened to Paige. But Scott, Isaac and especially Stiles hadn’t signed up for any of this, so Derek took it upon himself to get rid of Jackson for them. 

“No.”

“What?” Jackson asked, looking at Derek with surprise.

“I said, no” Derek growled, letting his eyes flash a brilliant red. “You said that you would hang out with us until we got back from Jamaica and then you would tell me about Paige.” 

He was sick of Jackson being able to hold Paige’s wellbeing over his head. But Derek had upheld his part of the bargain, now it was Jackson’s turn to uphold his. 

“”So let’s go talk,” Derek growled, grabbing Jackson by the shoulder and pulling him to his feet. “Now.”


End file.
